The Fate of Humanity
by ilmiopassato
Summary: COMPLETE. Sequel. For Captain Natalie Cooper, her unit, and her family, this is the way the world ends. Third story in the Cooper series, after "The Battle of Sigma Octanus IV" and "The Invasion of Earth".
1. Intro: Nothing But Problems

Author's Note: Here's the sequel to my story "The Invasion of Earth", and the concluding installment of the Cooper trilogy. To all the readers, old and new, welcome. To those of you who haven't read my previous two stories, "The Battle of Sigma Octanus IV" and "The Invasion of Earth", I highly recommend you read those first so you can fully understand this one. As usual, I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO HALO/HALO 2/HALO 3 OR ANY OF THE BOOKS, only the regular consumer copies. I'm just writing a fanfic based off the Halo universe (although my characters are my own). Also, following the tradition of my previous stories, the setting/times/dates may be slightly AU, so don't freak over it. ;-)

Like its predecessors, this story is rated T but tends to toe the line with M for language, violence, blood, gore, and some suggestive/sexual content (not graphic).

Hope you enjoy, and please review!

**

* * *

Intro: Nothing But Problems**

WARNING! TOP SECRET! EYES ONLY!

SCANNING IN PROGRESS…

…CLEARANCE GRANTED

//TO: Major Benjamin Phillips, Commanding Officer 102nd Force Action Battalion, 603rd Special Infantry Regiment, UNSC Marine Corps

FROM: Brigadier General Ryan McCardor, Commandant UNSC Military Base SA1, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. South American Theater Headquarters, UNSC Marine Corps

SUBJECT: FILE ENCRYPTED

MESSAGE:

Major Phillips,

We've received word recently of a number of devastating Covenant attacks near our biggest cities. The alien bastards seem awfully jumpy from what we've seen so far, and we think they might be gearing up for something big---maybe even a simultaneous attack on our main bases. In the interest of remaining vigilant and prepared, I have provided for countermeasures: calling in available units as reinforcements and stocking up on all military supplies. If something does go down, we want to be ready, and have the necessary manpower immediately at our disposal to mount a defense.

I understand your men have already performed a mission of great importance for the Office of Naval Intelligence in Western Europe, and have discovered some form of new extraterrestrial parasite there. With your battalion's expertise, I hope to gain further insight into our own problem.

General Ryan S. McCardor, Commandant UNSC SA1

//END MESSAGE//


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome to the New World

**Chapter One: Welcome to the New World**

**1237 Hours, December 11, 2552. Near the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. "The Reintroduction," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

Getting back into the fight didn't take very long for the 102nd Battalion. Almost immediately upon our extraction from Salzburg, new orders were sent down from our 603rd Regiment's bigwigs, telling Major Benjamin Phillips that we were needed on the other side of the planet. Willis, on the other hand, was sent straight back to Denmark to reunite with his squadron. Though I was upset that I'd been once again separated from my husband so quickly, I was glad to hear that the 102nd Battalion would be leaving Europe.

After spending a few days in Munich getting resupplied and rested, it was already time to ship out. Less than a week after our battalion's extraction, we found ourselves at a new base on a new continent---and in an entirely new fight.

_Well, maybe not entirely new_, I thought to myself presently. The enemies were the same, after all. And so were the uncomfortable weather patterns.

Tugging at my gray T-shirt, already sticky with sweat in the hot Argentine sun, I looked out at the city that lay on the horizon and frowned. It was summer here in the southern hemisphere of Earth, and the few days I'd spent in the Reatan Desert on Heath, while incomparably hotter, hadn't prepared me for prolonged exposure to such sweltering temperatures. The 102nd Battalion had already been here in Argentina for well over a month, and I still hadn't quite gotten used to this unbearable heat.

"Why the hell do we always get sent to places where it's either insanely hot or really cold?" I asked the Marine standing beside me. "Isn't there a post _somewhere_, in all of the planets, that has a temperate climate?"

Captain Oliver Hayden grinned. "Well, in my experience, Cooper, the answer's simple. A decent post either doesn't exist, or our battalion happens to be perpetually excluded from it. Take your pick."

I snorted and pushed my sunglasses up higher on the bridge of my nose. It was too hot for helmets today, so I'd taken mine off earlier, along with my battledress jacket. "Doesn't really matter, though, does it? Either way, we're still stuck in this inferno."

"You know how it goes, Cooper." Captain Hayden's grin widened. "Join the Marines, see the Colonies, kill some interesting shit…" He slung his weapon across his back and crouched down to my level, where I was sitting on some rocks. "Too bad they never told me about all the downsides of being in the Corps when I signed up."

I couldn't help but smirk at him. "Downsides, Oliver? You mean there's something _bad _about the job we've got?"

He chuckled. "If you ask me, I think the UNSC owes us a helluva lot more than their meager combat bonus for all this. I don't think I'd be able to keep my three kids up and running if my wife weren't a Naval lieutenant on a destroyer, collecting a bonus of her own."

The mention of Hayden's spouse and kids instantly directed my own thoughts to Willis and Gabriel. It had already been almost a month and a half since I'd seen my husband, and about five months since we'd been home with our son.

My heart lurched at the sudden realization. But still, I knew I was far luckier than most.

"Has it been a long time since you've seen her?" I asked after a moment.

The other captain didn't say anything at first; it was one of the only times I'd seen Hayden with a serious expression on his face. When he finally did answer, his voice was quiet. "Yeah. A real long time, Natalie. Haven't seen Courtney in close to two years. I really miss her."

I swallowed hard, knowing how much it killed me to be away from Willis. "Damn. I'm sorry, Oliver."

"It's ok." A small smile began to creep across his face as he stood. "She's going to be here soon, you know. I heard that her ship's coming in to get resupplied in a few days, so I'll finally be able to---"

Hayden never got to finish his sentence. A spray of blood suddenly filled the air, and then he dropped hard onto the rocks to my left.

It happened so fast my brain wasn't even able to take it all in. One second my best friend had been standing there talking to me, and the next I'd heard something that sounded like a dull _ping_ striking the side of his head.

And now he was probably dead.

"Hayden!"

I immediately went to go help my friend, scrambling over the rocks and pulling my own weapon down from my shoulder as I did so. The only thing that stopped me once I was about two feet away was the discharge of a second sniper beam. I hit the deck hard to make myself a smaller target, trying to keep my head from view by wedging myself into one of the large cracks in the rocks. A third report resounded through the area before I finally reached Charlie Company's commander.

"Doc!" I shouted frantically as I keyed the mike on my shirt. "Get your ass here now, Reynolds, and do it carefully! Covie sharpshooters've got us in their sights!"

"Yes, ma'am!" came the instant reply. "On my way, Captain!"

While I waited for the medic to arrive, I realized with dismay that there wasn't much I could do for Hayden at the moment. I was close to where he'd fallen, but I couldn't check on him without exposing myself---and getting sniped in the process.

Trying to think of a solution quickly, before my best friend lost anymore blood, I keyed my mike a second time and hailed the platoon closest to our position. "Third platoon! I want you to get a fix on that alien bastard five minutes ago! It's trying to pick us off!"

Even as I said the words, a fourth sniper shot rang out, fragmenting a rock less than a foot in front of me. The round instantly melted the part of the rock that had taken the direct hit, and broke the surrounding ones to pieces.

And that included the rocks that had been keeping my head hidden.

"Shit!" I yelled, ignoring for the moment the deep scratches that the exploding debris had just made on my bare arms. My face was only spared because I'd been using my arms to protect it.

Now that I no longer had cover for the most vital area of my body, I knew I had less than a couple seconds to move before my head would explode like a watermelon. Assuming the Covie's particle beam rifle was still charged, I'd have to haul ass.

Keeping my body as low to the rocky ground as possible, I crawled fast to the next best cover---a spot just in front of Captain Hayden. Again, I had to ignore the stinging pain in my arms, as well as the sight of my best friend's rapidly pooling blood, in order to keep myself alive.

Once I finally reached the spot, I thought briefly of attempting to return fire, but I knew I'd be dead before I could pinpoint the alien's position. Plus, seeing as I was clutching a submachine gun in my hands, the chances of my hitting a target that far-off were next to none.

Glancing worriedly back at Hayden as I kept myself under cover, something like a groan escaped me when I saw just how many of the rocks were colored dark red in his blood. I noticed for the first time that my T-shirt and arms now had some of his blood on them, too. I suddenly felt like throwing up.

_Oh, God, _I thought. _Oliver…_

I was determined now to get to him, no matter what. Before I had time to really think through what I was about to do, I lifted myself above the rocks and reached for my best friend's hand, trying to determine if he still had a pulse. But that one single motion turned out to be a big mistake.

The alien sniper still had the two of us in its sights, and it didn't waste its opportunity while I was momentarily exposed. Unlike the other times, I didn't even really hear the discharge of concentrated plasma this time; I simply felt it.

An intense, searing pain suddenly enveloped my left hand, and I couldn't stop myself from crying out in pain as I quickly drew my hand back to my body. Coiled around my injured limb, I cursed as I felt the blood at the center of the wound vaporize from the heat. It was only then, while I kept myself hidden between the rocks once more, that I realized just how foolish my rescue attempt had been. Now I'd have to wait for backup before I did anything else.

Liquid blood was oozing hot and fast from my wound by the time help arrived. Though I was without the benefit of a HUD, I could see from my position that the first to arrive was Atalom 'Kuatee, our Elite ally, along with my company's third platoon behind. The former Covenant soldier brought his own particle beam rifle to bear in a flash, and I heard the purple beam pulse past me a second later.

Even through the haze of pain coming from my hand, I watched as First Lieutenant Dean Lewis stepped up at the top of the rock pile and quickly brought out his field binoculars.

"All right, Marines," I heard him say aloud. "Enemy sniper has been neutralized. That does not mean that there aren't anymore of those bloody bastards around, however, so keep your ears and eyes sharp. Atom, good work."

"Dean!" I called out through clenched teeth. "Get Doc to check on Captain Hayden right now! He got hit!"

While 'Kuatee and third platoon continued to stand guard at the apex of the rocky hill, I saw Lieutenant Lewis and two medics scramble down to where Captain Hayden and I lay. Doc Reynolds reached me first, while third platoon's Petty Officer First Class Erika Calden crouched beside Hayden. When I heard both of the medics gasp, I knew it wasn't good.

"Ma'am, I'm…I'm sorry," Calden said after a moment. "Captain Hayden looks pretty bad. We're gonna have to evac him out of here immediately."

"He got a skewed shot, ma'am. The plasma round grazed the side of his head," Reynolds added as he glanced over at Hayden's body. "Looks like he went unconscious instantly, Captain Cooper, and it's hard to say whether he'll wake up again or not."

I didn't say anything for a long while. I just sat there, clutching my bleeding hand with my back leaning against the rocks, and tried to take in the latest horrible news. One of my best friends was now on the brink of death---and I could hear the other let out a harsh, uncharacteristically violent curse.

Petty Officer Reynolds sighed while Doc Calden and some Marines took care of Captain Hayden. He stepped over to where I sat and said, "Let's take a look at that hand, ma'am. Did you get shot?"

It took me a moment to find my voice. "Yeah."

"Ok, Captain. This'll probably hurt some, but I need to see the extent of the damage."

I winced as Doc Reynolds gently grabbed hold of my hand and had me unclench my fist. The burning pain was pretty awful for a relatively small wound, a testament to the hazardous effects of plasma on the human body. Yet still, this physical pain was nothing in comparison to what I felt at having seen Captain Oliver Hayden get shot right in front of me.

"He was happy today, you know," I said, my voice firm even as I watched the blood drip down from my hand. I knew it was mine only because it was the dried blood on me, not the fresh, that was Hayden's. I shivered. "His wife's going to arrive in a few days. He was finally going to get to see her after two fucking years."

Reynolds said nothing as he continued to look over my wound. Apparently the Covenant sniper had been a poor one; the round that had gone through my left hand looked as oddly-placed as the one that had gone through the side of Captain Hayden's skull.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have a problem getting this wound cleaned and bandaged up," the medic stated. "Your hand's going to keep swelling up even after I stop the bleeding. I'm going to have to cut off your wedding ring, Captain, so that it doesn't block your circulation."

I glanced back down at my hand then, and noticed that my gold band was now smeared in dark red fluid. But this was my symbolic link to Willis, the ring he'd given me more than five years earlier, and I wasn't about to give it up. "No, Doc."

The medic met my eyes with an incredulous expression on his face. "You don't have much of a choice this time, Captain. You either lose the ring now, or you'll lose the finger later."

I shook my head. "Find another way, Reynolds."

Without warning, Petty Officer Reynolds abruptly pulled the ring free of my finger, the slick blood on my hand making it come off smoothly. Still, the sudden motion sent a lightning jolt of pain spiking through my hand.

"Jesus, Doc," I rasped, shutting my eyes tight. Even as I sat there clutching my hand once more, I felt Reynolds move his fingers behind my neck and reach for my dogtags. After slipping my wedding ring on the chain, he snapped it back into place and gave me an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I had to do it."

Not bothering to reply, I allowed Doc Reynolds to go about his work uninterrupted this time. As angry as I was at him right now, for undermining my authority yet again, I was simply too consumed by other emotions to deal with the medic at the moment. Between my best friend's possibly fatal wound and the pain coming from my hand, there wasn't much room left in my brain to think of anything else.

Except maybe for the intense nausea that steadily made its way up my throat.


	3. Chapter 2: Licking Our Wounds

**Chapter Two: Licking Our Wounds**

A few hours later I was sitting in the medical wing of the base in Buenos Aires, watching one of my good friends fight for his life. Because Bravo Company's medics had been able to evac him quickly from where we'd been on patrol a few dozen kilometers outside the city, the doctors here on base had eventually managed to stabilize him despite the gravity of his wound. Still, thanks to a previously undetected Covenant sniper, Captain Oliver Hayden was now lying in a coma-like state in a hospital bed, and Charlie Company was without a leader.

No matter how many campaigns I fought in, no matter how many things I'd seen in combat, I was always surprised by how quickly the circumstances could change. One minute you could be sure as dead, the next saved; one minute you'd be winning the battle, the next you'd be nothing but a pile of wasted debris. It wasn't always skill or numbers or determination that could see you through the worst parts of war. Sometimes it was simply luck.

As I glanced down at my left hand, still painfully searing but now bandaged up after getting shot with an enemy sniper round, I realized how, once again, I'd managed to defy the odds. But my best friend hadn't.

"Captain Cooper, ma'am?"

The voice was low and gentle, but I somehow managed to hear it nonetheless.

"Whatcha got for me, Dandh?" I answered.

Sergeant Trevor Dandh, my interim aide since the death of Corporal Kaleb Garian in the Austian Alps, shifted uncomfortably as he leaned against the doorframe to the room. "It's Major Phillips, ma'am. He's requested your presence in his office. Said he wanted to see you about what happened on the patrol."

I let out a sigh as I rubbed my burning eyes; exhaustion at the day's events was already setting in, even though it was only mid-afternoon. "Very well, Sergeant. I'll be right there."

"Yes, ma'am." Sergeant Dandh saluted and then, after executing an about face, walked away down the hall.

Once my temporary aide was gone, I stood from the chair beside Hayden's bed and reached for his hand. I gave it a squeeze and whispered, "Remember what you said to me in Lienz, Oliver. If your wife shows up here in a few days and finds you dead, you're screwed. So you'd better pull through, buddy. I don't want to see you die twice."

It was only after I stepped out of Captain Hayden's room that I noticed yet another familiar face lingering in the corridor. The only reason why my anger didn't immediately boil over at the sight of him was because I'd already run out of emotional currency for today.

"Captain, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted up on the hill earlier. That wasn't exactly my best…bedside manner."

At first I'd simply walked past him, continuing on my way out of the medical wing and towards Major Phillips's office, but that was harder to do once Petty Officer Reynolds had fallen into step beside me. I had no choice but to acknowledge his presence.

"Always the same crap with you, Reynolds," I said with more than a little irritation in my voice. "When are you going to learn that _I'm_ the one in charge, huh?"

"Ma'am, with all due respect, sometimes even the officers have to defer to my expertise." The medic took two quick steps and moved in front of me to get me to halt. "I wasn't lying out there, you know. You really could've lost your finger if I'd let you keep the ring on."

A heavy sigh escaped me. I didn't exactly have time for this right now, so I decided to go straight to the heart of the matter. "I know, Reynolds. You did the right thing. It was just…Well, we've all been through a lot in the past few weeks." And Willis almost getting killed in the forest battle certainly hadn't helped matters any.

Judging by the look on his face, the medic understood my reaction to the wound now. He'd been with me shortly after I'd gotten the radio trasmission that my husband was dead…and he'd also been with me when we'd later found Willis alive. He knew what hearing that kind of news had done to me.

Still, Reynolds didn't say anything for a moment. Eventually, though, he nodded and replied quietly, "I get it, Captain. I know that ring means a lot to you."

Glancing down at my bandaged hand, I pulled my tags from underneath my shirt and looked at the gold ring that hung from them. "Yeah, Doc. It does."

* * *

Major Benjamin Phillips looked far from happy when I was finally allowed into his office. If anything, it seemed like the last couple months had really taken their toll on the battalion commander. Dark circles were prominently displayed beneath his brown eyes, and his short, dark brown hair looked like it had more strands of gray in it than when I'd noticed last. Still, despite his haggard appearance, he was squared away in every other respect, as usual, and his voice never lost its tone of unquestionable authority.

Before I could even open my mouth to recite the "reporting for duty" custom, he spoke.

"How the hell did I lose my best company commander in the field, Cooper?"

Although the words still had that air of command presence, Phillips said them in such a calm and somber tone of voice that I didn't know how to reply at first. I swallowed hard on the lump forming in my throat instead as I thought of my friend.

"I'm not sure, sir," I finally answered. "Bravo Company and I swept that whole sector twice during our perimeter watch, Major. Never found a thing."

The major looked thoughtful for a moment before leaning back in his chair. He looked up at me and asked, "You know why, Captain, don't you? If the Covenant are using snipers, that means they're further out than the area we're monitoring."

"Yes, sir."

"So that means we'll have to branch out as well." He paused. "When did you say the captain was sniped again?"

"While we were doing the changing of the guard, so to speak, sir. He'd just come in with Charlie Company to relieve Bravo and I."

Major Phillips sat up abruptly and pounded his fist on his desk. "Dammit. Those Covie bastards always turn out to be much smarter than we give them credit for. You were probably being watched the whole time, Captain. They were just waiting for when they had two decently ranked officers in the same place to let loose." He nodded to my bandaged hand. "I heard they went after you as well, Cooper."

"Yes, sir. But Captain Hayden…he definitely took the brunt of it, Major."

"How's he doing?"

I shook my head. "Still no change, sir."

My battalion commander sighed. "All right, then. I'll have his executive officer take over Charlie for him, and have the doctors give me periodic updates on his status. I hope the poor bastard comes out of this thing alive."

"Yes, sir." I took in a deep breath to keep my voice steady. "Me, too, Major."

"Ok. Natalie, I have a little recon mission I want you to do for me."

"Sir?"

"If they really want this fight, then we're going to bring it to them. Tomorrow morning, at 0230 hours, I want you and Bravo Company on the march, Captain. You're going to figure out where those sniper shots came from, and then I want you to investigate the area. We'll get the fuckers who did this."

"Understood, Major."

Closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose, the major sighed again and said, "That is all, Cooper. You're dismissed."

"Sir!"

I offered Major Phillips a crisp salute, then did an about face and walked out of his office. Much as I hated to have one of my best buddies in such rough shape, I was sure as hell glad that I'd now been given a mission that would allow me to remedy the aliens' ever-present attitude problem.

_Don't worry, Hayden_, I thought to myself. _I'm going to get those bastards. I'm going to get them for_ you.


	4. Chapter 3: Accolades and Ceremony

**Chapter Three: Accolades and Ceremony**

**0700 Hours, December 12, 2552. UNSC Roosevelt Air Base, Skagen, Denmark. "The New Top Dog," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

It was a day of somber functions today. Besides all the usual mess of air patrols, aerial supply routes, and close air support runs his squadron performed at a near constant rate these days, First Lieutenant William "Willis" Hawk's squadron was also going to be attending the funeral of one of their own.

Their squadron commander, Captain Jason Dakota, had been killed in action a week ago. Though the man had been able to rescue the lives of over two dozen Marines on the ground the day he died, in the end he hadn't been able to save himself.

Willis felt terrible for the guy. He'd been an exceptional leader---and, he'd died in much the same kind of crash that Willis's co-pilot and friend, Second Lieutenant Alexander Drake, had died in. The one Hawk himself had miraculously survived. Now, the lieutenant wasn't sure if anyone that stepped in to take over the squadron would be half as good as Dakota had been.

_I guess today we'll see who Major Collins decides is up for the job_, Willis thought to himself as he sat up in his bunk.

He slowly ran a hand over his face, trying to force himself awake at such an early hour. Because he'd been spending an endless amount of time in the cockpit ever since he'd returned from his stint in Austria five weeks earlier, sleep was always a valued commodity that was never available in the desired quantities. It was always a couple hours here, a little nap there, and then straight back to the birds for more combat runs. After nearly four months of this same routine, with his only break coming in the form of several weeks' ground combat with his wife's infantry unit, Hawk found it just a little harder each time he had to wake up from a deep sleep.

Releasing a heavy sigh, he remained seated on the edge of his bed for a moment longer and absently picked up the picture on his nightstand. Despite its red-tinged corners---dried blood, courtesy of the crash that had killed his good friend but had somehow spared his own life---he still found it comforting at times like this.

But also somewhat painful, too.

_I really miss you, Natalie, _Lieutenant Hawk thought to himself as he stared at the photo. _And Gabriel, my little son…I miss you a whole lot more than I could ever say, little buddy._

"Hey, Willis! What're you doing still in your bunk, man?"

Before Hawk could place the photo back on the nightstand, his best friend, First Lieutenant Brandon Heat, came bursting through the door to his quarters. The other lieutenant immediately frowned when he saw that Willis was still sitting on his bed, wearing nothing but his boxers.

"Hey, man. There's a reason why there's locks on these doors, you know. It's so that when you're busy jacking off to your wife's picture, your best friend doesn't come by to…interrupt your fun."

Willis glared at his wingman. "Jesus Christ, Brandon. I wasn't…it's a picture of me, my kid, _and_ my wife, for God's sake, not just her."

"Oh." Heat grinned as he straightened his dress uniform. "So where do you keep the good ones, then?"

"Like I'd ever tell you. She's _my_ wife."

"Whatever. I'm pretty sure I can figure it out on my own," Lieutenant Heat replied, stealing a quick glance at Willis's datapad, which sat on his desk across the room. Brandon turned back to his friend. "Anyway, you ready to go yet? You know we're mustering in twenty minutes, right?"

"Oh, shit," Hawk muttered. Running a hand over his short, light brown hair, he said, "All right, get the hell out of here, Heat. I've gotta go do the fastest shower-shave-dress-eat routine anyone's ever seen."

"Hell yeah, you do." Heat gestured to the picture, still in Willis's hand, and winked at him. "In that case, be sure to finish up quick then, buddy."

Lieutenant Hawk debated punching his friend in the stomach for that comment, but he was in too much of a hurry now to deal with him. Willis knew that if he didn't get his ass on the move soon, he would catch all kinds of hell for being late---and to his squadron commander's funeral, of all things.

As quickly as he could possibly manage, Hawk hit the showers, shaved, brushed his teeth, and then used his wet hand to push the super-short strands of his hair up. Next came changing from his currently scanty wardrobe into his freshly pressed Class A dress uniform, thankfully ironed to regulation standards the night before. After quickly making sure his combat boots, campaign medals, and the single silver bar of his rank insignia were neatly polished, Willis checked his watch. He had exactly five minutes left to rush to the mess, grab a cup of coffee and some chow, and wolf it all down before assembling with the rest of his squadron in the hangar.

Still, he didn't leave his quarters without placing the family photo in his breast pocket. _Wish Daddy luck, Gabe, _he thought as he all but ran for the chow hall. _I'm definitely gonna need it._

* * *

Though technically not a clearly defined success, since the Covenant Prophet that Willis and Bravo Company were to take out had been found already dead, the ONI-ordered Operation Everest had served its ultimate purpose. Because of the high-ranking enemy leader's death, Europe not only remained securely in human hands for the time being, but it also temporarily disrupted Covenant communications across the continent. With their religious and military figurehead gone, the aliens had had a momentary collapse of command that UNSC forces were able to use to their full advantage.

The fight was far from over, of course; naval battles continued to rage in orbit all around the planet, and Earth was still being heavily hit, on each and every continent, by waves upon waves of fresh Covenant troops. Yet the situation in Europe, at least, certainly had the best foothold on the battle for Earth now. And maybe, Willis hoped, it would even be the staging ground for humanity's much-needed comeback.

And that's exactly what Lieutenant Hawk, his squadron, and the countless other UNSC units on the continent had been striving for for the past month and a half. That's what Captain Jason Dakota had died for. For the continued existence---and, God willing, the very future---of the human race.

How was it possible to live up to a commander like that?

It all still felt surreal to the former first lieutenant, that Major Erin Collins had chosen _him_ to be the next leader of the squadron. There were so many other, more experienced officers. He wondered why she'd picked him. And he wondered if he was truly ready for this amount of responsibility. _A whole squadron of pilots, and I_'_ve got to command them all now, _he thought to himself. _Now I know what Natalie probably felt like, when she had to take command of Bravo Company. Things are definitely different from this vantage point._

"Congratulations, _Captain_ Hawk," the major said as she shook Willis's hand after the funeral. "You've done the UNSC and the uniform proud, son. And now you have your own squadron to command, too, to show for all your excellent work and dedicated service."

Willis was so stunned he wasn't even sure how to reply. "T-Thank you, ma'am. It's...it's a real honor, Major."

Major Collins smiled. "One you very much deserve, Hawk, and one that, in my estimation, is also a bit overdue. You're still fairly young, but your incredible skills in combat---especially when it comes to the cockpit---are more than worthy of the rank."

"Thank you, ma'am," he repeated lamely.

"No need to worry too much about it, son," the major said with a knowing chuckle. "I heard you took temporary command during the initial invasion itself, at _Athens Station_, so I know you're a quite capable leader. Captain Dakota always had very good things to say about you." She paused, and Willis watched as her expression suddenly turned serious. "We've already lost so many, in this invasion alone, William. A lot of good men, a lot of good officers. We need competent, and young but experienced, leaders like you. That's what it's going to take if we're going to defeat the Covenant once and for all and secure a future for our species. It all starts with having the very best at the top."

The freshly promoted Captain Hawk nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I understand." He took in a deep breath. "I think I'm ready to take up the mantle, Major."

"Very good, Hawk. We're counting on you, son."

The only thing no one took into account, that almost no one even spoke of, Willis thought then, was the other outcome of Operation Everest. Humanity had now stumbled upon an enemy that was even more of a serious threat to the human race than the Covenant.

The UNSC also had the Flood to contend with.


	5. Chapter 4: Eviction Notice

Author's Note: Last update for quite a while, since I leave for Italy tonight. ;-) Have an awesome summer everybody, and I hope you enjoy this chappy!

* * *

**Chapter Four: Eviction Notice**

**0239 Hours, December 12, 2552. Near the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. "The Wrecking Crew," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

Before we'd left on patrol early the next morning, the mail had finally come in. The distribution of letter chips had been understandably delayed as of late because of the invasion, but thankfully the UNSC understood the importance Marines placed on keeping up with news from home.

I was anxious when I saw that one of my letchips was from an undisclosed location in the United States; my mother and son were still riding out the planet-wide Covenant attack in a secure ONI facility beneath the city of St. Louis, Missouri. I hadn't had any news from them since I'd arrived on Earth and met up with Willis in Lienz, and I'd been worried sick about Gabriel ever since.

When I'd placed the chip in my datapad, the file had been audio only---apparently, there could be nothing in the message that even hinted at its provenance. Still, receiving a recently dated confirmation of Gabe's well-being was enough to put my mind at ease, at least for now. I was also relieved to find that my mother had forwarded the message to Willis as well, so he wouldn't have to worry about our son.

The only thing I had to focus on now was figuring out where the hell the Covies we'd encountered this afternoon were.

Marching along at the center of my company's formation, I held my submachine gun loosely in my hands as I kept my eyes peeled for any signs of enemy activity. Although even the early morning was rather warm in Buenos Aires, and I was still going without my battledress jacket, I had decided to wear my helmet and my torso and leg armor for this patrol.

"Did you get the mail yesterday evening, ma'am?" I heard First Lieutenant Dean Lewis suddenly ask over our private channel. He was up at point with third platoon.

Not wanting a repeat of what had happened earlier this afternoon, I continued to focus on my surroundings as I answered, "Yeah. My poor kid's still holed up with my mom in the States, but at least I know they're both ok now."

"I'm very glad to hear that, Captain." My best friend paused. "I received another message from my wife today, the first one I've got since Cote D'Azur. Claire is six months pregnant now, and she finally knows the baby's sex."

I smiled. "So what're you gonna have, Dean?"

"It's a boy." The excitement in his voice was unmistakable. "Natalie, I'm going to have a son!"

"That's great, buddy. Congratulations. How's your daughter taking the news?"

"My wife says Emma is…well, I suppose expectant would be the right word. She is four now, and she cannot wait for her little brother to be born."

I thought of Gabe then; it seemed hard to believe, but he'd already be three years old come June. I wondered how my son would react if I got pregnant again after the war. Willis and I both wanted another child more than anything, but would Gabriel be as receptive to having a younger sibling as Emma?

The sound of nearby gunshots quickly reminded me that any sort of future---be it for myself, my family, or the human race as a whole---was far from guaranteed.

"Platoons!" I yelled over the company-wide channel. "Report! Where the hell did that fire come from?"

"Left flank, Captain!" Second Lieutenant Hillburn, transferred back to first platoon from third to take over for the fallen Lieutenant Samson, answered. "We've got a roving Covenant patrol that keeps trying to probe our lines, ma'am."

"Have first platoon spread out from the rest of the formation, Lieutenant. I want you to see if that Covie patrol leads you anywhere."

"Yes, ma'am."

"For the rest of you, let's keep on the march, Bravo."

As the acknowledgement lights winked green, I called Atalom 'Kuatee over to get his take on things. We'd been walking for a while now without much success, other than Hillburn's sudden announcement, and the Elite had been the one who'd eventually killed the relentless Covenant sniper yesterday.

"What is it, human?" 'Kuatee asked in a tone of slight annoyance once he was beside me.

At first, I'd always been irritated by the Elite's gruff manner and seemingly constant attitude. But after working with him for a few months now, I knew that that had less to do with his opinion of me and more to do with the fact that that was simply his personality. I shrugged it off.

"I figured since you were the one who got that Covie yesterday, you might have a better idea of where the shots were coming from," I answered.

'Kuatee glanced up at the night sky as we continued walking, holding the handle of his inactivated plasma sword in one hand. I followed his gaze while he took a moment to think. Unlike the dark, star-dotted sky I'd become accustomed to on other planets, I noticed that Earth's atmosphere looked like a mesh of dull hues, even in the middle of the night. The never-ending naval battles going on in orbit cast the normally blue-black sky a sickly burnt orange and dark green color. _I hope Will isn't up there, _I thought to myself. _I hope his squadron's staying within Earth's atmosphere for now._

When we'd been together in Lienz, my husband had told me of the first chaotic month of the invasion, and of the harrowing---and horrifying---battles that were fought in space during those weeks he was up there. Willis had always said that while he preferred dogfighting in zero-gee, it was a far more unforgiving environment than anything he ever experienced planetside.

I was startled out of my musings when I suddenly registered 'Kuatee's voice again.

"I did not have equipment at my disposal that day to accurately calculate the shooter's origin, Captain," the Elite said. "I can, however, express my certainty that it is somewhere nearby. We are getting closer, human."

Or, as it turned out, Lieutenant Hillburn and first platoon were getting closer. This time, I heard an explosion, along with more gunfire, erupt from her platoon's position.

My heart rate spiked as I shouted into the COM channel. "First platoon! What's your status?"

"We're good, Captain," the second lieutenant replied an instant later. "All accounted for, ma'am, and we've neutralized the enemy patrol."

I frowned. "You were supposed to follow that patrol, Lieutenant, not eliminate it."

"Yes, ma'am. I realize that. But I believe first platoon just found what we've been looking for, Captain." I heard the movements of someone rushing through the underbrush---Hillburn, no doubt---and then her voice returned, quieter now. "Ma'am, I think we've discovered a hidden Covenant outpost."

Once I'd come up on Second Lieutenant Hillburn's concealed position with the rest of Bravo Company, I could tell the young twenty-one-year-old platoon leader was right. A thick growth of trees and other assorted foliage obscured the area from aerial surveillance, and the well-camouflaged enemy outpost seemed to have been partially constructed from its surroundings. No wonder no other UNSC forces had detected it yet; the place was both skillfully crafted and relatively new.

"Good work, Hillburn," I said to her. Then I turned to the Elite, crouched beside me amongst the huge fronds of vegetation, and asked, "Atom? This look like the right place to you?"

"Yes, Captain. I believe the sniper distanced himself considerably from his base to get to his targets, but this is likely where he came from."

I nodded. "All right, then." Opening a company-wide channel, I said, "Marines, listen up. I want second and third platoons to stay put here, right where you are. You'll act as our lookouts, rear-guard, and, if need be, our reinforcements. First platoon, you're on me." I brought my submachine gun to bear as I stood. "We're gonna show these Covies what we do when they go after one of own."

"Oorah!" came the resounding chorus through the radio. The cry of the one hundred-plus Marines of Bravo Company was deafening in my helmet, but I still couldn't stop the small grin that formed on my face at the sound. These were _my_ Marines, and we were about to give the aliens that had tried to kill one of my best friends thirty kinds of hell.

_Hayden, _I thought, _this one's for you, buddy._

* * *

The Covenant outpost was relatively small, perhaps containing no more than about half a platoon's worth of enemy warriors inside. Still, I knew enough to realize that going in blind would be a good way to get both myself and all the men with me killed. After spending several minutes surveying the place from afar, I ordered first platoon's snipers to pick off some of the larger aliens---mostly Brutes---acting as sentries at the top of the structure. Then, and only then, did I have my former platoon move in closer.

Leading the way inside at the head of first platoon, I had my Marines move quickly and silently to the outer walls of the outpost. There were still two plasma cannons posted on opposite sides of the complex---taking out too many aliens at once would have drawn unwanted attention---and I wanted to avoid alerting the Grunt gunners to our presence at all costs. Thankfully, since I had first platoon use the surrounding natural camouflage to move in, that didn't prove to be much of a problem in the dark.

"Ok, Marines," I said into the platoon-wide COM when they were all in position. "Remember to move like shadows, and follow me."

I'd always found that the lack of sound in any structure you entered was easily the most unnerving quality of the place. And, especially after my terrifying encounters with the Flood in Austria, I'd become even more wary of this form of abnormality. Keeping my weapon trained at the darkness ahead, I glanced at 'Kuatee, who'd walked in just behind me.

I only had to say one word. "Parasite?"

Relief flooded through me as the Elite shook his head. "No, Captain. The parasite does not appear to have breached this area yet. Let us continue forward, and we shall see for sure."

Stepping slowly and cautiously through the narrow, pitch-black corridor---illuminated only by my helmet's nightvision function---I ended up stumbling on something soft nonetheless when I rounded the first corner.

It turned out to be a sleeping Grunt…and it wasn't too happy to have been awakened.

Knowing that we were compromised anyway at this point, I didn't hesitate to pull the trigger of my SMG. The Grunt didn't even have time to shriek as its blue blood splattered across the bulkheads and floor of the hallway. Its corpse fell limply to the ground with a wet smacking sound.

_Well, at least it won't be so quiet in here anymore_, I thought to myself.

"First platoon, stay sharp: we've lost the element of surprise, so be ready for some heavy resistance," I said through the COM channel. Even as I wiped some of the Grunt's blood off my bare forearm with the bottom of my T-shirt, I could hear the sudden squeals and roars echoing through the corridors now. "Effective immediately, Marines."

Though I'd prepared for the oncoming Covenant by going down on one knee and aiming down my gun's sights, I wasn't expecting a huge Brute to come raging down the hall first. Afraid that it was wielding a Brute shot---an exceptionally fatal weapon in such tight quarters---I was about to get up and backpedal as I opened fire on the beast. Once I saw the spiker rounds begin to ricochet off the walls around me, however, I knew that at least the Covie didn't have any explosives on it. So, I stayed put and continued pumping lead into the Brute instead.

Too bad my clip ran dry before I was able to do much more than tickle the thing.

With its tough hide now riddled with bleeding but nonfatal bullet holes, the Brute roared loud and charged, intent on ripping apart the human that had done that to him. He charged right for _me_.

I knew I wouldn't be able to reload my gun fast enough, as the Brute had only a short distance to cross before it got to me. I rapidly pulled out my pistol from my hip holster instead, firing several times right at the beast's head. Still, the nearly invincible alien didn't go down just yet.

Just as I started to brace myself for getting bowled over, and, at the same time, praying that my armor---_not_ my ribs---would be able to take the brunt of the impact, I watched as Atalom 'Kuatee became a blur of motion. He activated his energy sword lightning fast, bringing the blue-white blade swinging down on the Brute's shoulder with astonishing precision.

The Brute growled loudly, dark violet blood instantly spouting from the cut-open area, but the deep wound served only to slow the persistent son of a bitch down. Although going on far less momentum now, the Covie warrior kept gunning for me anyway, reaching out with its giant muscled arms to crush my body between them.

But by now, I'd managed to get just enough time out of 'Kuatee's stunt to reload my submachine gun.

What greeted the Brute instead of the satisfying _crunch_ of my spine breaking between its massive hands was an entire fresh clip of shredder rounds. Unlike the regular bullets I'd had in my gun before, these tore deep into even the gorilla-like Covie's thick hide, exposing more of the creature's insides to the world outside. Hot purple blood sprayed across the corridor in a matter of seconds, and whole chunks of flesh came off its body this time.

After so many wounds and so much blood loss, not even a tough Brute could survive the double-teaming encounter. Like its Grunt subordinate, the beast finally dropped to the bloody ground a moment later, directly in front of my boots.

I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief right then, for very narrowly escaping several possible ways of getting injured, maimed, or dismembered by the huge Covie, but I couldn't. More of its comrades were already on their way.

_Good. That just means we'll get even more bodies for Oliver. For my best friend that's in a freaking coma because of them._

Gripping my submachine gun tight now that the adrenaline was really pulsing through my veins, 'Kuatee and I pushed through the cramped hallway without a word and moved into the main interior room of the outpost. I could hear the rest of the Marines of first platoon stomping in behind as well.

Now, we had the Covenant outgunned in their own makeshift base.

With so many Marines at my back, the fight with the few remaining Covies didn't last long at all. I was so fueled up with adrenaline and anger that I didn't even register the entirety of what was going on around me. All I remembered later was pumping another clip's worth of SMG ammo at a trio of Grunts, the bullets tearing through their bodies methodically, one after the other, and then turning my attention to a Jackal hiding uselessly behind its flaring-red shield.

'Kuatee, who had just finished dealing with the one other Brute left, whipped around on the lone Jackal at the same time I did, and ripped its shield right out of the other alien's hands. Noticing a group of fresh Covenant trying to come into the room behind it, I quickly primed a plasma grenade I'd picked up sometime during the melee and shoved it straight into the Jackal's face.

"That's for my friend," was all I said. I kicked the wide-eyed and dazed Covie in the chest with my combat boot, sending it glowing and shrieking right into the incoming band of its comrades.

I barely had enough time to hit the deck and cover my head before the explosive went off.

The grenade suddenly burst in a bright flash of blue light, immediately enveloping the four or five new Covenant that had entered the room from a corridor on the opposite side, and blowing away the Jackal I'd stuck as well. It took me a few seconds, lying there on my stomach on the ground, to get my sight and hearing back.

It wasn't until someone pulled me to my feet that I realized how hard I was breathing.

"Ma'am?" I heard Doc Reynolds's faraway voice ask. "Are you all right?"

For some reason, the words didn't register at first. It took me a second to notice that my visor was now raised, too. Probably the medic's doing. "W-what?"

Reynolds frowned. "It doesn't look like you got hit, ma'am, but you definitely don't look so good." He grabbed hold of my arm. "Come on, Captain. Let's get you out of here and get you some fresh air."

I wanted to protest, but I found that I just didn't have the energy for it all of a sudden. I was coming down off the high of the adrenaline rush by now, and all I felt at the moment was drained.

And really, _really_ nauseous.

"Doc," I said in a strangled tone. "Doc, I think I'm gonna---"

Acting quickly, Reynolds somehow managed to anticipate my being sick before I even uttered the words. He pulled my helmet all the way off just before I emptied my stomach---mostly on my boots. The rest went into the grass and the other shrubs that now surrounded us.

Apparently, we'd made it back outside.

With my SMG now slung across my back, I held onto my knees and remained bent over as I waited for the wave of intense nausea to pass. With my other senses finally returning to normal as well, I wondered how the hell I'd managed to get that sick so abruptly.

Even the medic sounded surprised as he asked, "Uh, ma'am? Is everything ok?"

Pulling my canteen from my web belt, I didn't answer at first. I took a small swig of water to rinse out my mouth, then spit it out onto the ground. After I had a second mouthful of water, I spit that out, too, and then drank a few sips. The hydration seemed to help ease my upset stomach a little.

Still slightly out of breath from all that had happened in the past several minutes, I gestured to Doc Reynolds as I finally straightened. "Give me the helmet, Doc."

He hesitated. "Captain, with all due respect, you're in no shape to---"

"Dammit, Reynolds." I let out a frustrated sigh, exasperated but still feeling a little too weak to challenge him. "One of my fucking platoons is in that place, Doc. I need to see if Hillburn got them out ok."

The medic said nothing for a moment. It was only once he replied that I realized he'd checked for me. "They're out now, ma'am, and they're on their way here. And before you ask, no one's seriously hurt, either."

Although genuinely grateful for the good news, all I did was nod. The queasiness wasn't completely gone yet, and I didn't want to jumpstart another round of blowing chunks on my feet.

Meanwhile, Reynolds continued to stand there, watching me to assess my gradual recovery. "How're you feeling, ma'am?"

"Ok, now." I shot him a look, hoping he could see it in the dark. "I swear, this is because of those stupid stim pills you always give us. You gotta learn that they just don't seem to work with my system that well."

Doc Reynolds folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow at me. "I didn't give you any stims this time, Captain, remember?" His expression slowly broke into a small grin now that he saw I was doing a bit better. "Can't keep blaming those things every time your stomach revolts, Captain. Sometimes, it's just something else."


	6. Chapter 5: Internal Improvements

Author's Note: I was FINALLY able to find a computer around here with both Internet and a floppy disk drive to upload new chapters (yeah, my poor Internet-less laptop is that old). I've got up to Ch. 18 all done and ready to go now, so lots of updates coming at you. ;-) Hope you enjoy and, as always, reviews are much appreciated!

P.S. In case the military ranks get confusing, a full lieutenant in the Navy is equivalent to a captain in the Marine Corps, which is why Lewis ranks below Hayden's wife.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Internal Improvements**

**1605 Hours, December 15, 2552. Near the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. "The State of Affairs," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

The next few days on base were full of the usual duties of patrols, training, and the ever-present mounds of paperwork. While the recent discovery of the Covenant outpost had alerted the whole base to the sudden proximity of enemy forces---and, because of that, an increased threat of a large-scale attack---there had been nothing in the way of pertinent events so far. As always when stuck on base, things got pretty boring a lot of the time.

After getting my injured hand checked out with Doc, which still hurt like hell but seemed to be steadily improving, I went to check on Captain Hayden for a while. First Lieutenant Lewis was already standing there when I walked in.

"Hey, Dean," I said quietly. Glancing over at Hayden as I stood at the foot of his bed, I noticed with dismay that his complexion seemed more or less unchanged. "How is he?"

Lewis shrugged dejectedly before confirming my suspicions. "Still much the same, I'm afraid. The doctor came in a few minutes ago and said Oliver was improving, but only marginally, really. There won't be any significant changes unless he wakes up."

Despite the fact that I'd expected as much, it still hurt to hear that. It'd already been four days since a sniper round had grazed one of my best friends, and he wasn't getting a whole lot better even now. The longer he stayed in a coma, the worse his chances of survival became.

I took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh. "Damn. I never thought something like this would happen to him."

"Neither did I," Dean said, running a hand over his thick red hair. "Just goes to show that even your best mate can take the hit sometimes." He looked over at me. "Speaking of which, is your hand any better?"

"Some," I replied, unconsciously massaging my bandaged hand with my good one. "I got real lucky on this one. Not a whole lot of nerve damage, even though it bled a lot, so it should heal up quick and be good as new soon. I just wish it didn't burn so damn much."

"Well, there's plasma for you. Another thing those bloody aliens are good at making our lives miserable with."

That's when we both turned at the sound of deck boots coming down the hall. Just before we got to see who it was, we heard a woman's stern voice chewing out one of the medical wing's orderlies.

"Are you kidding me? I've had to wait for two fucking hours already just to be admitted!"

A young man's nervous voice was heard next. "M-my apologies, ma'am. We're under strict orders to thoroughly screen everyone who comes back from orbit to make sure they're not carrying any remnants of the parasite---or anything else."

While admittedly a valid point, the woman didn't seem to be having it at the moment. "I want to know my husband's room number. Right _now_, Petty Officer."

"Y-yes, ma'am. It's this one here, Lieutenant, on the left."

I wasn't too surprised when a blonde-haired woman in a UNSC Naval uniform walked into Hayden's room. There were many details in the fragment of conversation Lewis and I had eavesdropped on that pointed to her being the captain's wife.

She stopped short when she saw us standing beside her husband's bed. "Who're you two?"

Lewis stepped forward first. "First Lieutenant Dean Lewis, ma'am. XO of Bravo Company, in your husband's battalion."

Hayden's wife slowly nodded before turning her steely eyes on me. "And you?"

"Captain Natalie Cooper, commanding officer of Bravo Company. We're good friends of your husband's."

"Yeah, I remember him mentioning the two of you in some of his letchips." She held out her hand for us to shake in turn. "Lieutenant Courtney Hayden. I apologize if I seemed a little accusatory just now. I'm on a short fuse today, for a number of reasons, but I do appreciate your presence here. I'm glad Oliver's got people who look out for him."

The room went quiet then as Lieutenant Hayden walked over to her husband's bedside. Though she'd been astonishingly composed just a moment ago, Lewis and I heard her choke back a sob as she took Oliver's hand in both of hers. She sat there silently for a moment before using a hand to stroke his short brown hair, then leaned in to kiss him.

"Hi, honey. I'm finally here," she whispered.

I motioned to Lewis that we should probably leave to give them some privacy, but then Hayden's wife turned back to us.

"How did…how did he end up like this?"

"Covenant sniper," I answered, barely able to watch the scene before me. It reminded me way too much of when I thought Willis had died, and I struggled to keep my emotions out of my voice. "The round hit the side of his head. Not enough to kill him, thank God, but enough to knock him unconscious and put him in a coma." I had to pause for a moment as I swallowed hard; the memory of Hayden's blood spilling onto my shirt and arms was still fresh. "I know how hard this must be for you. Something similar happened to my own husband a while back, too."

"I'm sorry. Is he ok?"

"Yeah." I heard my voice falter, and I knew I couldn't take this much longer. "Listen, we'll leave the two of you alone now. If there's anything you need, though, feel free to come by my office. It's just down the hall from here."

"Sure. Thanks."

As soon as Lieutenant Lewis and I stepped outside the room, he grabbed hold of my arm before I could even attempt to charge through the hallway.

"Natalie? Is everything all right? You looked a bit…shaken back there."

"Don't worry, Dean, I'm fine. I'm just…I haven't really been feeling all that great lately. But I'm sure it'll go away once it runs its course."

My best friend sighed; he knew I wasn't being entirely forthcoming with him. "Whatever's going on, Natalie, just remember this: William is still alive. I realize how deeply his…quasi-death may have affected you, but the important thing to remember is that he did _not_ die." He squeezed my shoulders. "Your husband is well, Cooper, and so is your son. I know it's hard not to, but you don't have to worry so much."

"You're right, Lewis." Though I tried, I couldn't quite bring myself to give my friend a reassuring grin. I settled for running a calming hand through my hair instead. "Listen, I'll uh…I'll figure all this out. I've gotta go back to my office now, though. God knows there's plenty of paperwork to do still."

I knew Lewis was going to protest my abrupt departure, since I hadn't really told him just how badly Willis's near-death had jarred me. So, I decided to walk away fast before my best friend had a chance to object.

* * *

Two mind-numbing hours of mundane office work later, there was a knock on my door. Sitting at my desk going over yet another set of company documents and after-action reports, I didn't even bother to glance up at the sound. "Enter."

Sergeant Trevor Dandh stepped through the door, leaving it open behind him. He snapped a crisp salute and announced, "Ma'am? Lieutenant Hayden is here to see you, Captain."

That was enough to force me out of my bored daze. A knot suddenly formed in the pit of my stomach, and I wondered if my best friend had taken a turn for the worse. Still, my voice didn't betray any of my feelings when I spoke.

"Thank you, Sergeant. Let her in."

"Yes, ma'am." After performing the customary salute and about face, Dandh walked back out of the room, and in came Captain Oliver Hayden's wife.

My first indication that things weren't quite as bad as I thought was the smile that formed on her face.

"He's awake, Cooper. He finally came out of it about an hour ago, and he seems to be doing pretty well, considering. This is the first chance I got to come by and let you and Lewis know, since the doctors told me I had to leave Oliver's room now."

It took me a couple seconds to find my voice again---I was just that relieved. "Wow. I'm glad to finally hear some good news on his end. Any idea when they'll start letting people back in to see him?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure yet, Cooper. But I'll pass the word along once I know."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Reaching for the COM on my desk, I said, "Let me call up Lewis for you real quick."

Once I'd told Dean of Hayden's reemergence into the conscious world, I looked up at Lieutenant Hayden again. She was smiling even wider now.

After releasing a bemused sigh, she folded her arms across her chest. "You know, I don't know why I love that goofball so much. The damn bastard almost gave me a heart attack when I found out he was in a coma." Her voice faltered for a moment, but only slightly. "For a while there, I was afraid Oliver wouldn't wake up."

I smirked. "Yeah. Men can be pretty annoying sometimes, but dammit if I don't love my husband to pieces anyway. I don't know what I'd do without him."

Hayden's wife chuckled. "You got it, kid. The trick is to never let _them_ know that, though." Her expression changed then as she glanced down at my desk. "Isn't it about time you got a break?"

I snorted, finally setting down my datapad on a stack of papers and leaning back in my chair as I rubbed my eyes. "Yeah, I'd say so."

"Come on, then. Let's hit the O-Club for a while. It'll do us both some good."

"Never thought I'd be one to say this, but I think I'll pass on the drinks. I've been feeling a little under the weather lately, and I don't think the alcohol's gonna help. Plus I'm technically still on-duty for another hour. Sorry."

"No worries, Cooper. Suit yourself." Then a smirk suddenly appeared on her face. "But I tell ya, kid: after a day like today, I _definitely_ need a drink."


	7. Chapter 6: Hunting Down the Flood

**Chapter Six: Hunting Down the Flood**

**1844 Hours, December 15, 2552. UNSC Roosevelt Air Base, Skagen, Denmark.** **"The Offensive," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

"Jesus, Captain, what the hell are you still doing here? I thought you were off-duty already."

Captain Willis Hawk resisted the urge to look up at the voice, if only to annoy his best friend. Instead, he kept his focus on the combat patrol schedules in front of him, trying to conceal his grin as he purposely injected a commanding tone into his voice. "Did you actually come here for something, Brandon, or are you just making your nightly rounds of juvenile skylarking?"

First Lieutenant Brandon Heat snorted. "Nah, I'm just making sure my best friend isn't kissing too much of the major's ass in his first week as squadron commander." He walked up to Willis's desk and tapped the wedding ring on Hawk's finger. "You _are_ married, you know. I bet you Cooper would count that as cheating."

Hawk hated himself for not being able to contain the small chuckle that escaped him. "Yeah? You really think so, El-Tee? Should I call up my wife and ask her?"

Heat shrugged, all nonchalance as usual. "Sure. I'm positive she'll take my side." He grinned. "I hate to tell you this, buddy, but I think she's always kinda had a thing for me. You shouldn't blame her for it, though. That's just part of my natural allure; the ladies can't resist."

"If you're not careful, Lieutenant, I'll have to volunteer you for cleaning the heads on base---_all_ of them. And where's the 'sir' in any of the things you've said so far?"

"Damn, when the hell'd you get all prim and proper, huh? What's Major Collins been doing to you, man?"

"It's ok, Heat." Willis smirked as he glanced down at his papers. "I know you're still getting used to being ranked below me now. Taking orders from a superior officer is a long learning process for you."

Lieutenant Heat snorted a second time. "Yeah, it is when my superior officer's the same guy I've been partying it up with since flight school. So what're you working on there, _sir_?"

"Just some reports on recent air maneuvers, nothing too exciting." Captain Hawk leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the desk, propping up his chin with his hands. "You know, when I first got promoted, I had no idea there'd be this much admin work to do."

"You know what they say, sir. Rank has its privileges, but it also comes with some pretty shitty side-effects---and by that, I mean responsibility. Me, I'm glad I'm still just an El-Tee." Brandon smirked. "All I gotta worry about is flying."

Willis snorted. "If responsibility's what scares you, Brandon, then it's a good thing you don't have a kid yet." He sat there a moment, then slowly shook his head. His voice had gone quieter when he spoke next. "I really miss him, man. I really miss both of them."

The lieutenant knew his friend well enough that he didn't have to ask to know Willis was talking about Natalie and Gabriel. Heat sobered as well. "I'm sorry, Willis. I miss my girlfriend, too, but I can't say I know what it's like for you to be away from your wife and kid. Have you heard anything from them yet?"

Hawk let out a sigh. "Nothing from Natalie since I heard her unit was being shipped off to Argentina. I did get a letchip from my mother-in-law about Gabe a couple days ago, though. She says they're still doing good for now, so I can at least---"

Without warning, the door to Willis's office was suddenly shoved ajar by Major Erin Collins. Both of her subordinates quickly stood and offered crisp salutes, but she gestured for Heat to relax.

"At ease, Lieutenant Heat. Captain Hawk, go ahead and take a seat. I need to have a word with you. _Now_."

As First Lieutenant Brandon Heat saluted once more and hurried out of the room, Willis got a horrible feeling in his gut. He wasn't really worried that he'd already managed to somehow screw up in his inaugural week as squadron commander---not much, anyway. Because he hadn't heard from her in so long, he was worried that something had happened to Cooper.

Memories of that day nearly a year ago, when Willis had been told that Sigma Octanus IV had been glassed, flashed through his mind. He remembered those few agonizing weeks he'd spent in a shocked daze, mourning the loss of his wife, of his little son's mother, before he'd finally found reason to hope Natalie was still alive. He didn't think he could take something like that again.

He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Ma'am, please, just tell me now. Did…did something happen to my wife?"

Major Collins seemed slightly taken aback for a moment. "Your wife, Captain? No, no, this isn't about her, son. As far as I or anyone else knows, she's fine. You can rest easy."

Aware of his audience, Willis released a controlled sigh of relief. "Thank you, Major. She uh…she was fighting on Sigma Octanus Four when it was attacked by the Covenant early this year, ma'am. During those initial weeks of the invasion, I went a while thinking she was dead, and so I…I guess I never really got over that."

"I understand, Hawk. I apologize for causing you any undue anxiety. But I do have something very important to speak to you about, Captain."

Hawk straightened in his seat. "Ma'am?"

The major placed her datapad on Willis's desk, turning it over so that he didn't have to try to see the display upside down. When he finally focused on the device, Willis realized with more than a little unease that on it was a blurry picture of a Flood form. Remembering all that had recently occurred in Lienz, he involuntarily turned away.

"Ever since you and your wife's execution of Operation Everest, the UNSC---mostly ONI and HighCom---has been trying to determine how it was that this new…parasite suddenly appeared here on Earth," Major Collins began. "We have obtained valuable intelligence on this new threat from our Elite allies, of course, but our knowledge is still fresh, and thus fairly limited."

Willis nodded slowly, unsure where his commander was going with this. "Yes, ma'am."

"I also know that, as one of the first people on Earth to see and experience these creatures' capabilities firsthand, you could be an indispensable asset to the UNSC's investigation."

"Understood, Major." Hawk glanced up at her. "So what would you like me to do, ma'am?"

"Nothing too large-scale, Captain. As I mentioned, the UNSC's top brass and best minds are already working on the matter. However, since this parasite was discovered in Europe, based on your and the 102nd Battalion's reports, they want some frontline men looking into the subject as well." She paused before looking at him again. "All I need you to do, Captain, is to keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary when you're out on your supply runs, or flying air patrols. What the UNSC needs is a lead right now, so any kind of evidence that could help us solve this---or help us learn more about the Flood---would be of great use. Can you handle that, Hawk?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll do whatever I can to help."

Major Collins nodded, clearly satisfied. "Good. From now on, Captain, if you do end up finding anything suspicious while you're conducting your aerial surveillance, I want you to come directly to me. I'll relay the information to those who can utilize it." She took in a breath before continuing. "As I'm sure you know, having the Elites recently side with us in the war has given us just the leverage we need to finally end our long fight with the Covenant. The Flood, however, may pose an even greater threat to us than those alien bastards, so we should try to isolate the parasite now that it's simply concentrated in small pockets. That way, it doesn't become humanity's next insurmountable problem. Is that clear, Captain?"

"Of course, Major," Willis answered promptly.

Still, as the major filed out of his office, Hawk couldn't help but think that Collins had no idea what she was really asking him to deal with. Everything she'd said about the Flood completely underestimated the magnitude of their horror, as well as their uncanny ability to thrive in just about any type of environment. If the UNSC didn't get on top of this issue fast, the invasion of Earth---maybe not by the Covenant, but by the Flood---would eventually succeed. The human race would, indeed, cease to be…and very soon.

Captain Hawk leaned back in his chair, shut his eyes tight, and tried not to think of that possibility for now. _I'll never let anything happen to Natalie, or to Gabe, _he thought. _I don't care how bad the fighting gets, be it against Covies or Flood. No extraterrestrial shit is going to come near my family---or bring an end to my species. Not while I'm still here._


	8. Chapter 7: Technical Difficulties

**Chapter Seven: Technical Difficulties**

**0912 Hours, December 16, 2552. Near the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. "The Choice," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

While I was leading my company on a twelve-mile run as part of our daily physical training exercises, I started to feel it again. The wave of nausea came on abruptly and strongly, moving its way up my throat so fast I hardly had time to slow my pace enough to retch. As I slowed up so much that I was no more than lightly jogging for a moment, I cursed my body for losing its control when I was busy commanding my company. My stomach couldn't have waited until later to purge itself of its contents?

"Ma'am? Are you still having problems?"

I glanced over at Petty Officer Michael Reynolds, who'd surprised me by keeping up a good pace just behind me for most of this morning's run, and scowled. "What do you think, Doc? Does this look normal to you?" Feeling a little better now that I'd puked, I started to run faster again. "I think the cooks in the chow hall have been slipping something different into the food recently. I've been getting sick for almost a week now."

"I don't think they've changed anything up, Captain. I think you're just genuinely sick," Reynolds said, breathing just as heavy as I was. We were now on the home stretch of our eleventh mile, with the rest of Bravo trailing behind.

_Only a few hundred yards to go_, I thought to myself. Which was good, because between the queasy feeling in my stomach and the hot sun beating down on us, this wasn't exactly the most enjoyable run I'd ever been on---and I'd been a pretty big fan of running for years now.

"I know you're tired of hearing this, Captain, but I think you should sit the next few patrols out and just lay low for a couple days," Doc Reynolds said, continuing on after taking a brief pause for air. "If it's not the food and you're actually sick, it'll give your immune system a chance to fight back since your body's not working so hard on the other stuff. You'll get over this faster that way, and you'll only have to skip training and PT for a few days."

"Forget it, Doc. We don't know when the Covies'll be back, and I want my company---and myself---prepared and ready to go. I'm not sitting out because of some nasty bug I've managed to contract. I'll just ride the damn thing out." Though I was sweating like crazy myself by now, when I looked over at Reynolds, I could see that his shirt was positively soaked. "And please, Doc, try not to kill yourself running. We need you out there in the field."

Reynolds's face was already so red from the exertion and the sun that I couldn't tell by his expression alone if he was embarrassed. The tone in his voice was what gave him away. "With all due respect, this isn't about me, Captain. This is about your health, which is what I'm in charge of."

"Wrong," I said, shooting him a look. "It's about _yours_. And as a medic, you should know when you're about to collapse from running harder than your body can manage. Got it?"

"Captain, I assure you that I _can _keep go---"

"Reynolds, please stop being ridiculous. Slow up your pace _now_, before you pass out and I've got to call a medic for _you_. And do it before I turn that into an order, Petty Officer."

I heard Doc Reynolds let out what he probably imagined was a sigh of resignation, but was actually more of a wheeze. "Yes, ma'am."

With the medic finally trailing further behind me now, I thought I could focus my attention on sprinting for the final leg of the run---the base's parade ground. But all I could think about was how sick I still felt…and if maybe Reynolds weren't right about needing a few days of rest.

_He probably _is _right, _I finally admitted to myself as I sprinted the last fifty feet. _I'll just request to get a couple days to myself, get rid of whatever this thing that's been bothering me is, and get back to work. The Covies---and the Flood---need to be sent the hell off the planet, and it needs to happen soon. I can't do my part as efficiently as I should if I'm too sick._

Content with my decision, and confident that I'd be feeling well enough to give the war effort my all once I recuperated in a few days, I put my hands on my hips and closed my eyes tight out of exhaustion as I gradually came to a halt. The rest of my company, I knew, would be along shortly.

* * *

After getting back to the main part of the base, I quickly hit the showers before dressing in a fresh garrison uniform. Even now that Bravo Company had been housed in Buenos Aires for a month and a half, the ability to get clean whenever you wanted still felt like a wondrous luxury. I knew that as soon as Bravo and I got into any significant fight with the Covenant or the Flood, though, showers would once again become only a fond memory.

But I tried not to think about that for now. Instead, I went directly to the medical wing once I left my quarters. Lieutenant Hayden had told me yesterday that her husband was finally allowed regular visitors again---though she'd been able to stay with him sooner, since she was his wife.

Captain Oliver Hayden was still lying in his hospital bed, hooked up to a series of thin tubes and wires, but he seemed animated enough as he spoke to his wife. She sat beside him holding his hand.

Taking in the scene before me, I hesitated at the door. "Am I interrupting?"

Both glanced up at me, but it was Lieutenant Hayden who waved me over.

"You can come in, Cooper. Nothing much going on here."

As I walked up to Oliver's bedside, I asked him, "So I take it you're feeling better today?"

"Yeah, much," my best friend answered with a grin. Though his head was wrapped in a bandage and his eyes revealed the amount of pain he was still feeling, he looked happy. "Looks like you weren't the only lucky one after all, Natalie."

I snorted. "I got shot in the hand, Oliver, not the head. I think you deserve bonus points for the amount of luck you have."

"Well, in any case, you and I are still alive. I'd count that as---" Hayden stopped speaking abruptly and cringed, pressing a palm to his head. His wife reacted to his sudden discomfort as well, leaning over him with a worried look on her face.

"Honey, are you ok?"

"Yeah. I just get these really bad headaches a lot, and they…pack a mean punch."

"Can't be worse than those massive hangovers we got in Munich," I said with a smirk. "I was way too hungover by the second morning."

Captain Hayden laughed, recovered from the momentary flash of pain. "You weren't alone, Cooper. I think we were all hurting pretty bad by then."

Before anyone else could say anything, we were interrupted by a knock on the doorframe. I was surprised when I turned to see Petty Officer Reynolds standing there.

"Sorry to bother, ma'am, sir, but I need to talk to Captain Cooper for a moment, if I could."

"What's going on, Reynolds?" I asked when we were standing just outside the room.

"I spoke to Major Phillips about you being sick, ma'am. He's agreed to grant you two days to rest, so you won't need to go on tonight's patrol."

Nodding, I replied, "All right. I'll let Lieutenant Lewis know he's got temporary command of the company, then. Thanks, Doc."

He looked beyond shocked when he realized I'd complied with one of his medical orders without argument. Then, slowly, a grin came upon his features. "Damn, Captain. You _really_ must not be feeling that great, huh?"

I couldn't help but grin back. "Just get out of here, Doc, and be grateful you didn't get any shit from me for once."


	9. Chapter 8: No Time to Call in Sick

**Chapter Eight: No Time to Call in Sick**

**1045 Hours, December 18, 2552. Near the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.** **"The Move," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

Despite having puked my guts on and off for the past several days, I was back in combat gear and in command of Bravo Company as soon as my forty-eight hours of rest were up. For the last two days, at least, though I had still been experiencing a fair amount of nausea, I hadn't thrown up even once. Taking that as a sign that I was finally getting better, I opted not to request a third day off and instead led my company on another patrol in the outskirts of the city.

Reynolds, of course, had just about gone ballistic, but I was used to that by now. He knew that in the end, I'd always do what I felt was best for the company---not always necessarily for my health.

"Ma'am, we're approaching the area where we found the structure the other day," I heard Second Lieutenant Hillburn inform me over the COM bud in my ear. She and first platoon were leading the patrol for Bravo Company this morning. "Any additional orders, Captain?"

I shook my head out of reflex before keying the mike on my T-shirt to reply. Sometimes I hated being without my helmet, for this reason alone, but I'd rather have awkward communications methods than fry to death. "You know what to do, Hillburn. The major just wants us to make sure a new Covenant force hasn't moved back in since we came here to clean out the place. If there are some new residents, he wants them neutralized, and then we blow the structure with our demolitions crew."

"Understood, ma'am."

With my submachine gun in one hand, I used the other to quickly wipe the sweat on my forehead with my short sleeve, then replaced my sunglasses as we entered a small clearing. It seemed like the only thing I could be thankful for today was that my vague feeling of nausea hadn't gotten any worse as the morning wore on. Yet.

_Come on, Cooper, _I thought to myself. _Don't _think_ about feeling sick, or you're going to _get_ sick. Focus on your company and the patrol._

"Lewis? How's the rear looking so far?" I said into the COM. I wanted to make sure I checked in with all my platoons before we reached the Covie structure.

"Quiet, ma'am. Just like everywhere else, it seems," my best friend replied. "I'm not so sure I'd trust the silence, though, Captain."

"Yeah, me either, Dean. Make sure third platoon knows to stay sharp, Lieutenant."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Frederick?"

"Same here, Captain. No sign of those alien bastards so far."

I frowned as I continued on, walking just off the flank of first platoon's rear guard to keep an eye on a larger portion of the company. I wasn't upset that we weren't running into any enemy resistance yet---on the contrary, I was thankful for it---but I hated the idea that we might be marching into some kind of trap.

"Are you ill, human? Your skin seems more pallid than usual."

Atalom 'Kuatee's voice beside me momentarily sent my pulse into overdrive. I hadn't been expecting him to sneak up on me like that. _See, that's what happens when you're not paying attention, Cooper. Get your head back in the game._

"I'm fine, Atom," I answered, wishing that were the truth. "I'm just worried that the Covies might be back, that's all."

I was grateful when I noticed that Atom didn't appear keen on continuing the brief conversation. The last thing I wanted to do was expose my weakness to a former member of the Covenant---even if he _was_ our ally now.

In a few more yards, the Covie outpost Bravo Company and I had discovered six days ago finally came into view. After switching to a company-wide channel using my mike, I had just ordered Bravo to halt when plasma fire suddenly erupted around us.

"Captain! There're Covies popping up everywhere!" First Lieutenant Lewis cried. "It's an ambush!"

_Dammit! _I thought_. I knew it!_

Sure enough, I quickly confirmed that my executive officer was right. Whole fronds of vegetation and pieces of bark began coming off the trees around me, while patches of dirt and grass started bouncing into the air in scorched black puffs. I was lucky that so far, the Covenant didn't seem to be able to quite pinpoint our position, because no Marines had been hit yet.

Trying to think of a plan fast, before my entire company got shredded by the two plasma cannons letting loose over us---and the hidden Covie patrols that had managed to encircle us---I crouched into the surrounding foliage to keep myself camouflaged and yelled, "First platoon! Move back into the trees! Snipers, I want you to find a spot and engage right now! Everyone else, just take 'em out!"

That was easier said then done, of course, but as my mind went into tactical mode, I realized that there was actually little to worry about. Though the aliens had had the element of surprise on their side at first, they definitely didn't have it now…and we still outnumbered them by a large margin.

Since they hadn't been able to eliminate any Marines in their initial strike, the Covies' attack was now doomed to fail.

While I heard the sounds of gunfire and the _cracks_ of sniper rifles coming from behind me, I aimed my submachine gun at the Grunts rushing through the underbrush, headed straight for 'Kuatee and first platoon's flank. Barely rolling out of the way of a long burst of needler fire, I immediately returned to a crouch and squeezed the trigger of my own weapon back at them. Because I'd learned from my last several patrols and always packed shredder rounds now, the first two Grunts making a run for us had their whole torsos ripped open in an instant. Pale blue blood splashed onto the greenery in front of me, and the remaining six aliens---mostly Grunts, with a trio of Jackals among them---shrieked in astonishment.

It was while I was still busy helping 'Kuatee deal with the stragglers that I noticed the plasma cannons had gone silent.

"Dean, give me a sitrep," I said into the COM as I pumped lead into one last Jackal. The alien fell in a heap at my feet, the blood pouring from its throat giving its dying gasp a gurgling quality. I didn't feel sorry for it, though.

"Cannons are down, Captain, as are all three ten-man patrols that ambushed us," my XO reported. "It appears there are a few of the bastards still emerging from the outpost's entrance, ma'am, but this skirmish is all but over now."

I allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief as I ejected the spent clip from my weapon, then reloaded. "Great news, Lieutenant. Let's start preparing to go in now; your third platoon is going to be acting as security out here, while first and second platoons'll set up a perimeter. I want the demo team at my location in five."

"Yes, ma'am."

Making sure my communication to Lieutenant Lewis had been over the company-wide channel, so that all of Bravo had heard it, I was concentrating more on cocking my SMG and on the other platoon leaders' acknowledgments than on my surroundings. That was how a badly wounded Brute, finished off an instant later by Atalom 'Kuatee's sword, was able to fire three rounds of its spiker gun just past my right shoulder as it died.

Two of the rounds harmlessly _ping_ed off the top of my chest armor, doing nothing more than causing me to buck back for a second, stunned. But when the third grazed the side of my neck, making me wince as a small spray of blood came out, I knew just how close the call had really been.

I was without a helmet. If I'd been crouched only a handful of centimeters closer to the right, all three spiker rounds would have gone straight into my head.

That thought alone was definitely enough to make the nausea come on strong.

Although I'd been forced back by the impact of the spiker rounds, I abruptly moved my upper body forward as I felt the queasiness in my stomach start to climb up my throat. I was only able to stop the oncoming vomit-fest by downing some water from my canteen and closing my eyes for a moment.

It seemed I wasn't getting all that better after all.

"Captain? Captain? What are your orders, ma'am?"

Emerging from my nauseous state, I looked up to find Private First Class Kenyon Roys, leader of the four-Marine demolition team, staring at me with a worried expression on his face.

"Ma'am, you're bleeding. Are you ok?"

"Yeah. It's nothing to worry about, Private," I said as I touched a hand to the side of my neck. Although the inside of my palm came away wet with blood, there wasn't really all that much of it. I quickly wiped my hand on the side of my battledress trousers. "Just a cut from a spiker round that got a little too close, kid."

The private didn't look convinced, but he was sharp enough to know not to question an officer. "Yes, ma'am. We're uh…still awaiting your order, Captain."

Gripping my submachine gun with my good hand---the one I'd used to check my neck since my other hand was still bandaged---I quickly stood and tried to ignore the various types of hell my body was giving me at the moment. "Wait no more, Roys. Let's get moving and get your team into position."

The young PFC nodded. "Right away, ma'am."

With the rest of Bravo Company forming a perimeter around us, the demo team and I made our way to the entrance of the structure. I waited outside, SMG pointed at the dirt while I kept a vigilant watch, as the crew entered the outpost to plant their explosives. The nausea was finally subsiding for once, so I was able to keep my entire focus on what was going on around me, as I should.

A few quiet minutes later, PFC Roys and the other three Marines reemerged.

"Whole place looked clear, ma'am," he reported. "We planted two LOTUS anti-tank mines on either end of the structure, which we've rigged to remote-detonate, and a few groupings of frags here and there that'll go up once the mines do."

"All right. Nice job, Private. That goes for the rest of your team as well." I paused, then asked, "So how big's the blast radius supposed to be?"

Private Roys grinned, all youthful enthusiasm; the kid was just nineteen. For a heartbreaking moment, he reminded me of one of my former aides, Private James Beesner, who'd been one year Roys's junior when he'd had his femoral artery severed in front of me. I had to work to keep myself from shuddering.

"It'll blow the entire outpost and then some, Captain," Roys said excitedly, unaware of my sudden discomfort. "I respectfully suggest you have the company move at least two hundred meters back, ma'am."

Shaking myself out of the bad memory from Heath, I didn't waste any time ordering Bravo Company---along with the demo team---far from the area. Then, we all watched as the cleverly concealed alien outpost went up in a huge blast of explosions, fire, and smoke.

_Take that, you alien bastards, _I thought with a smug grin of my own. _You definitely won't be coming back here anymore._

* * *

Later, as Bravo Company and I were marching back to the base in Buenos Aires, I was slightly caught off-guard when Major Benjamin Phillips hailed me. I had already radioed my battalion commander earlier to tell him the combat patrol had been a success, and that we were currently returning to base.

"Captain Cooper, this is Major Phillips. There's been a change of assignment for the 102nd."

Surprised, I asked, "Sir?"

"Regiment's decided they've got more than enough Marines guarding the city for now, Cooper, and, as you well know, it's been relatively calm around here for weeks. Now that you've destroyed one of the main threats to Base, Colonel Davis wants us moved to a more…contentious location."

"Where's that, sir?"

"The 102nd Battalion's going to be sent to Portoviejo, Ecuador tomorrow at 0500 hours, Captain. Apparently, despite the UNSC's best efforts, certain key bases have been largely ignored in favor of the more populous metropolitan areas, such as Buenos Aires. And ONI now has reason to believe that the Covenant have caught onto this trend, so they've been gathering their forces near the modest---but tactically important---base we're moving to. Regiment wants us to help bolster the Marine units already there, in preparation."

I nodded, trying not to think of the implications of his words. "Yes, sir. Any new orders, then, Major?"

He hesitated before answering. "Not yet, Cooper. Just get back here ASAP, and get Bravo Company ready for the move once you arrive. We're only being sent to Ecuador as stand-by troops for now, but we'll need to make sure we come with everything we've got, just in case."

"Understood, Major. I'll have Bravo squared away for our departure, sir."

"That's what I like to hear, Captain. See you when you get back. Phillips out."

For the rest of the return march, I couldn't help but think about the transfer the 102nd Battalion was going to have to make tomorrow morning. _I really, really hope ONI's just overreacting,_ I thought to myself, _and that this doesn't end up turning into another Foxtrot Base fiasco. _

With the way I'd been feeling lately, I wasn't so sure I'd be able to handle a full-scale enemy attack anytime soon.


	10. Chapter 9: Ask and You Shall Receive

**Chapter Nine: Ask and You Shall Receive**

**0457 Hours, December 20, 2552. Near the City of Nijmegen, Holland. "The Abandoned Ship," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

Several weeks ago, when he'd still been fighting on the ground with Cooper's Bravo Company, Willis would have killed for something like this. But now that he'd been back in the cockpit for nearly two months-practically living in his bird, rather than on base-the novelty of the reunion had long worn off.

Especially when a routine supply run to the Marines dirtside had suddenly transformed into a combat air patrol.

"Snoopy, this is Talon. You'd better have my fucking six!" Captain Hawk cried into the radio as he sent his D77H-TCI Pelican into a tight roll.

The movement saved his life. The deadly blue-white lances of plasma coming from the Banshee in front of him barely missed the canopy of Hawk's ship. He winced as he heard the resupply canisters come loose from their restraints in the cargo bay, but there was nothing he could do about that right now. Right now, all he had to focus on was keeping himself, his co-pilot, and the Marines on the ground alive. Survival always came first.

"Roger that, Talon!" First Lieutenant Brandon Heat, Willis's wingmate, quickly answered. "I can take one of 'em, sir, but the third's gonna be a real bitch to waste. I think the bastard's trying to get on my tail!"

_Dammit, _Willis thought to himself, sweat dripping down his brow. He wished he could wipe the moisture from his forehead, but his flight helmet prevented him from doing so. _If that Banshee gets a fix on Brandon, we're both cooked._

"Sir!" his new co-pilot, Second Lieutenant Karen Howard, shouted before Willis could think of what to do next. She had joined the squadron as a replacement a few days after Willis had returned to base from Salzburg, and he'd quickly taken a liking to her. She also had a great deal of skill - as well as a good head on her shoulders.

Both were rarities for green pilots, but, technically, she wasn't that green at all. Captain Hawk knew her relative calm in combat situations came from the fact that she was almost four years older than him, and had actually served as an enlisted woman in the UNSC Navy for eight years before transferring to the Corps to become a Marine pilot. That made her a top-notch assistant in the cockpit, and Hawk was grateful for that.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" he asked.

The usual coolness of Howard's voice was momentarily shattered. "We've got a Wraith on the ground aiming right for us, Captain!"

Well, things were just getting better and better, weren't they?

So, Hawk did what he always did when situations were fucked up beyond all reality-which, admittedly, was most of the time. He let himself go by instinct rather than careful thought.

"All right, Lieutenant," he said with much more confidence than he felt. "We're going to make a pass on that Wraith now, and I want you to open up with all we've got. We need that thing out ASAP, Howard, understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And Snoopy?"

"Sir?"

"I'm counting on you to deal with that second Banshee, El-Tee. Maneuver over it to keep the third off your six for now, and make sure they don't blow my ass up while I deal with the tank. Then I'll come around and deal with Banshee One, got it?"

"Roger, Talon! This is gonna get real hairy, you know that?"

Willis heard himself sigh into their radio connection, jerking the controls of his Pelican to prevent yet another Banshee attack from breaching his hull. "Yeah, I know that, Snoopy. But we've gotta try."

At the very least, Willis mused to himself as he pushed the throttle hard to quickly get past a huge blue orb belching from the top of the Wraith tank, the Marines on the ground weren't being targeted while the enemy tank focused on his bird. That allowed Hawk and his wingmate a little more time to get rid of the Banshees before they resupplied the poor bastards fighting dirtside.

_And now I know what that's really like, too, _Hawk thought to himself. _I know what it's like to be stuck down there in the dirt, with little or no equipment-and no where to run or hide. You just have to deal with whatever's thrown at you the best you can and hope you live._

Of course, since his own wife was in the infantry, he'd always had a profound sense of respect and empathy for what the boots on the ground had to go through. But now it was different. Now, he'd actually lived it himself. And he was determined to help save his fellow Marines dirtside as well.

"Talon!" Lieutenant Heat's voice instantly brought Willis back to the present. "I know what you're thinkin', man, and you'd better not overdo it! That's how Captain Dakota died, remember? And if you get killed, Natalie'll have my ass for not bringing you back in one piece!"

Willis had to bank his dropship sharply to port as a second mortar round burst from the Wraith tank on the ground. Still, once he'd successfully dodged the huge ordnance, a grin came upon his face at his best friend's words. "What are you complaining about? Sounds to me like you're getting off easy, Snoopy. Cooper promised _me_ a bullet to the head for that kind of transgression."

Before Heat could reply, Captain Hawk turned to his co-pilot. "Lieutenant, I need you to stay sharp now, all right?" They'd just cleared the open field where the Wraith was, and as soon as Willis had sent the Pelican into a steep climb to maneuver for another pass, he'd noticed that Howard had turned a little green at the close call they'd had a moment ago. And not the color of inexperience this time, but the sick one. "I wasn't able to get a shot in at the tank just now. So, when we get enough altitude, we only have enough time to go in once more before the Banshees return with an attack run of their own at us. This'll have to be fast, and I'm counting on you to man the missile controls while I handle the flying. Is that clear, El-Tee?"

Though she still looked to be a bit on the pale side, years of combat experience on a number of Naval ships enabled Lieutenant Howard to collect herself. "Yes, sir. I've got it, Captain."

"Snoopy? Give me an update on the Banshees."

"Yes, sir," Heat answered, easily slipping back into regulation forms of address. "I managed to get the third Banshee, sir. Covie pilot overcompensated when I rolled over his buddy in the second Banshee, so I got a clear view of the fuselage. And, as of now-" Willis heard the thunderous rattling of the D77H-TCI's heavy machine gun for a full twenty seconds before his wingmate's excited voice came back. "Hell yeah, you son of a bitch! Sir, as of now, Banshee One's out of commission, too. No sign of the second yet, Talon, but I'm sure it's coming around soon. I'll keep an eye out."

Willis grinned wider now, glad things were finally going in their favor. "Roger, Snoopy. I've got the Wraith."

This pass was going to be a little more complicated than the first, Hawk realized. First, the enemy tank on the ground, if not busy with the platoon of Marine infantry, was probably tracking the Pelican's approach even though Willis's bird was still out of range. Second, timing the missile launches for Howard while flying through the Wraith's mortar rounds was also going to prove difficult-especially considering that they hadn't launched anything at the tank during the initial pass, and thus Hawk and his co-pilot had no idea how to best adjust the shots.

He was just going to have to go for it.

Right before he started his dive, Willis felt some of the sweat that had been hanging off his eyebrows earlier begin to sting his eyes now. His flight helmet seemed too warm despite its built-in cooling mechanisms, and he generally started to feel ill at ease with his whole get-up. Perhaps it wasn't Lieutenant Howard's inexperience at all that was making her sick. Maybe it was just the anxiety that seemed to be building inside of Hawk now as well.

But then, almost out of reflex more than out of conscious need, Willis risked a quick glance at the family photo taped above the instruments on his side of the cockpit. Natalie and Gabriel, a reminder of the life Hawk had waiting for him at the war's end, should it end in humanity's favor. And that was all it took to keep him focused.

_I won't do this to you, Coop, _he thought fiercely._ I know what you went through when you thought I was dead, and I know what _I_ went through when I thought _you_ were gone. So I promised you I'd never make you go through that again. _He took a deep breath as he dipped a wing to begin the final pass. _And we both have to do it for our son._

_We have to survive._

Captain Hawk pushed the throttle of his Pelican to the max, the dropship still swooping towards the ground even as it sped forward toward the Wraith ahead. He heard Second Lieutenant Howard let out a slight gasp at the way Willis was suddenly handling the bird, with so much aggression, but he wasn't fazed. If there was one thing he was always genuinely confident of, it was his piloting skills…and he knew, without being too cocky about it outwardly, that he was one of the best of the best. That was why Second Lieutenant Drake's death earlier on in the invasion had shaken him so badly-it was one of the few times he'd ever failed at something in the cockpit. But while he still missed his friend, he'd also gotten over the death eventually, and, in time, had learned to move beyond it to continue his duties.

Because that's what he'd seen Cooper do time and time again. Because that's what _everyone_ had to do in order to keep the fight for humanity alive.

"Howard!" Willis barked as the large Wraith tank came into view.

The lieutenant almost jumped right out of her seat at the sharpness of his voice. It was a good thing she was strapped into her co-pilot's chair with heavy restraints. "Sir!"

"Got those missiles prepped and ready, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Then begin locking in now, El-Tee, and wait for my order. This is it."

Hawk heard the anticipation in Howard's tone, but also the cool resolve. She was well used to working under pressure. "Yes, Captain."

Though Captain Hawk expected it to pass in a sort of slow motion, as he watched yet another destructive fluorescent globe get launched toward his ship, the whole attack run actually ended in the blink of an eye. Still forcing the throttle hard, Willis managed to somehow maneuver the bulky Pelican _underneath_ the enemy tank's current line of fire, shout the order to Howard to release the missiles, and fly right past once more.

The only major difference was that this time, they'd scored a direct hit.

It was the type of stunt that Willis usually reserved for his Longsword out in space, the kind of recklessly good flying that saved your life when in zero-gee with that type of starfighter. But it was never meant for flying the virtual bucket-with-wings that was a Pelican-even this newer, more maneuverable model of it-and it showed.

Willis struggled to keep his bird under control as he brought it into another steep climb after completing the run on the Wraith. With all the bucking and jarring the dropship was doing right now, he felt as though his very bones were vibrating.

His co-pilot was quite visibly worried now. "Uh, sir?"

Hawk gritted his teeth hard and replied tersely, "Don't worry, El-Tee. I've got it." His tone was calmer and quieter as he repeated the words a second time. "I've got it."

And, eventually, within the next several unbearably long seconds, the dropship finally complied. Willis let out a breath he wasn't even aware he'd been holding, then turned sharply to Second Lieutenant Howard.

"Did you get the Wraith, Lieutenant?"

Although she still looked like she might get sick, a faint smile began to spread across Howard's face. "I did, sir. The whole thing blew like a package of major-holiday fireworks."

Only after checking with his wingmate to make sure all the Banshees were finally out of the picture as well did Willis allow himself a grin. He looked over at his co-pilot and said, "Great work, Howard."

"Thank you, sir." She grinned in return.

Willis then turned his attention to his wife smiling at him through the photograph, and found himself smiling back at her. Pressing a few gloved fingers against the image, Willis whispered, "We've done it again, Cooper. We're still here."

* * *

Flying back to base was as uneventful as any pilot could hope for during a full-scale invasion of the planet. The meteorological conditions across most of Europe, which was continuing to experience a particularly harsh winter, had made it difficult to see much through the clouds. Still, Willis and his wingmate, First Lieutenant Brandon Heat, would be returning to Denmark with their original resupply mission accomplished.

Knowing he and his best friend had saved the Marines on the ground from the Wraith made Hawk's job all the more worthwhile.

_And I managed to escape with my own skin, too, _Captain Hawk thought to himself. _I'm lucky fortune didn't decide to abandon me, like it did Dakota._

He forced these morbid thoughts aside and concentrated again on the huge success that had been today's patrol instead.

And between his mind wandering and the overcast weather outside his Pelican, Hawk almost missed it. In fact, since he was flying low only by chance and happened to get just a tiny glimpse of the object through the thick clouds, Willis wasn't even really sure he'd seen it at all.

"Hey, Howard? Did you see that thing down there? The one we just flew past?" Willis asked his co-pilot, giving her a quizzical glance.

She looked over at him and shook her head. "No, sir. What did you see?"

Captain Hawk frowned, scrunching up his brows as he contemplated the question. "I'm not really sure, Lieutenant. But I think we should go check it out, just in case." Opening a channel to his wingmate, Willis ordered, "Snoopy, Talon. Form up tight on me. We're gonna backtrack for a second while I take another look at something."

Lieutenant Heat grumbled something as Willis maneuvered his Pelican for the turn, but ultimately Brandon did as he was told without complaining. On the ground, when off-duty, Heat didn't have any qualms about putting his best friend in his place. But here in the air, Willis was in charge, and Heat knew his friend was too professional to allow him to mouth off.

So both pilots did a second fly-over of the area Willis had indicated on their maps. At first, the layer of snow-bearing clouds they were flying into and out of obscured pretty much everything on the ground. But then, they came around to a sudden clearing in the sky, and now Heat could see it, too.

"Uh, sir?" he asked Captain Hawk. "Is that a…?"

"Downed Covenant ship, Snoopy?" Willis finished. "It sure is, buddy. Howard?"

"Sir?"

"Make sure you're recording this. There's something off about…whatever's going on around here."

"Yes, sir."

It was as Hawk flew his Pelican in for a closer look that he finally noticed what was odd about the thing. True, it was already strange enough that a small Covenant ship was just lying there, half-covered and iced over in snow. But now Willis could pinpoint the very source of the weird vibes he was getting. The normally purple-blue ship now appeared to be sporting vague, cream-colored bulbous structures around the outside of its frame.

"Captain, what is that stuff?" Lieutenant Howard asked, voice filled with disgust.

"Yeah, Talon. That ship looks diseased, man," Heat added.

Hawk swallowed on the small jolt of irrational fear that suddenly went through him at the sight. After combating the horrific parasite in the abandoned Covenant camp during Operation Everest, Willis knew exactly what he was observing below.

"That's because it _is_ diseased," Willis replied, tone strangely calm. "It's the Flood." _And they somehow managed to gain control of an entire Covenant ship, _he added silently to himself. "Snoopy, Howard, we'd better haul ass back to base. Major Collins is definitely going to want to know about this."


	11. Chapter 10: Expect the Unexpected

**Chapter Ten: Expect the Unexpected**

**1645 Hours, December 25, 2552. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador. "The Test," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

Today was Christmas…and I was feeling worse than ever.

I thought I'd finally beat this thing a few times over already, especially while the 102nd Battalion and I were still in Buenos Aires. But now that we'd arrived in Ecuador, with an even hotter, more humid climate, I just didn't feel like trying to ride this out anymore. It was time to take more definitive medical measures, and it was time to get some answers.

As I walked through the hallway to find Doc Reynolds, I tried my best to ignore the seasonal festivities going on all across the base this afternoon---festivities I usually enjoyed very much, but I just couldn't stand the ruckus right now, not the way I was feeling. Though I knew that there was probably no overnight fix for this, I hoped that first platoon's medic could help me remedy whatever was going on with my body so I could get back to feeling like myself again.

Predictably, I ended up finding Petty Officer Reynolds hovering around near the medical wing of the base. Since I was already starting to get queasy again, I wasted no time on pleasantries when I approached him.

"Doc, I need to see you in my office. Now."

Reynolds looked more than a little confused at my sudden order, but he quickly followed me through the corridor without a word. Once I reached the room, my temporary aide, Sergeant Dandh, came to attention and saluted me as he stood outside the door.

"Afternoon, Captain," he said, opening the door for Reynolds and I.

"Afternoon, Dandh. As you were," I commanded, returning the salute. While I ushered the medic inside, I turned back to my aide. "Sergeant, I want you to make sure you secure the door behind us, and then go ahead and grab a coffee in the mess hall for a minute. We won't be long."

"Yes, ma'am. Consider it done."

Once everything was settled and Dandh was gone, I motioned for Reynolds to take a seat as I stepped behind my desk. Though he didn't say anything, I suspected the medic was wondering about all the secrecy involved.

"Don't worry, Doc. We're not planning a black op. I just called you in here for your medical advisement, and I didn't want my aide listening in in case it's something serious."

Doc Reynolds shifted in his chair for a moment. "Ok. I take it that means you're still feeling sick?"

Releasing a sigh as I put a hand to my head, I nodded. "Yeah. It's never really gone away, it's just…some days have been better than others. And now I'm starting to get a little worried about it." _Ok, _I admitted to myself. _A lot worried._

He thought for only a few seconds before answering. "I've suspected this for a while now, ma'am, but I wanted to be sure it wasn't something else first." Reynolds sighed and met my gaze. "Since it clearly wasn't the stims, or bad food from the mess, or even some kind of virus, then there's really only one other thing it could be, Captain. It's…gotta be morning sickness. You're probably pregnant."

My immediate reaction was to snort. "Don't be ridiculous, Michael. That's impossible. I haven't seen my husband in almost two months, and I got tested in Munich and when we first got to Buenos Aires, to cover the time that he _was_ with me. I came up negative both times."

"The pre-combat mission physicals aren't foolproof, Captain. Anything you…might have done too close to the time of the exam wouldn't have been detected yet."

Damn. He was right. There were only a handful of days separating Bravo Company's departure from Salzburg and later arrival in Argentina---not enough time for there to be any significant increases in certain hormone levels, which is what the tests used in order to determine if a child had been conceived.

_Oh, God,_ I thought, panic and urgency suddenly building in my head. _Could the tests have missed something?_

"Ma'am? You look pale, Captain."

And I felt like throwing up again, too. Much as Willis and I both really wanted another child, this was neither the right time nor the right place to have one. That was the whole reason why we'd decided to wait on having a second kid until after the war was over, why we'd taken precautions…

Shutting my eyes tight as I pinched the bridge of my nose, I let out a long sigh and asked, "So uh, what options do I have, Doc? Is there any way I can find out if…?"

"Well, I'm not too well-versed in this kind of stuff, and I personally don't have the means to test for that, ma'am. I'm just a combat medic, not a doctor. But I can referral you to the physician who conducts the pre-combat exams. I'll talk to her about it and have you sent over right away."

I didn't know what else to say, so I settled for a shaky, "All…all right. Thanks, Reynolds."

* * *

By the time I reached the base's medical wing, I was only barely able to keep myself from freaking out. _Oh, no, _I thought. _What if Doc's right? What do I do then, with the Flood and the Covenant trying to annihilate the fucking human race? And a whole company of Marines I've got to command to help fight against them?_

To prevent any further loss of sanity over something I wasn't even sure about yet, I decided to just stop worrying about it for now. Whatever was done was done, and there was no use being anxious over something I couldn't change. If I were pregnant, I'd deal with it. If I weren't, then that just meant that I could continue my duties as planned.

It was so much easier for me to handle all this if I thought of it in these simpler terms---without the innumerable implications and consequences running through my head.

I didn't even step up to the reception desk. Reynolds had already called in directly to the doctor who'd be performing the necessary exams, so I went straight to her office. A woman in a white labcoat, who looked to be in her late thirties, glanced up as I entered the room.

"You the captain Petty Officer Reynolds sent over?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, noting the insignia of a Naval commander on her coat's lapel.

"All right then, Captain. Go ahead and have a seat for now. I'm going to ask you a few questions, and then we'll head to the examination room to get you all checked out." She rolled her office chair over to the stationary one in front of her desk, where I was now seated, and then looked down at her datapad. "I'm Commander Victoria Osgood, by the way. I'm just going to confirm the info that's on your CSV real quick. Can I get your full name please, Captain?"

"Natalie McKenzie Cooper," I answered.

"Date and place of birth?"

"March 15, 2527 in Emerald Pines, Mars."

"So you're twenty-five years old and going on twenty-six, then?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Company commander of Bravo in the 603rd Infantry Regiment?"

"Correct, ma'am."

She nodded. "Ok, Captain, if you would follow me to the exam room, we'll make sure you're still battle-ready and send you on your way."

With the aide of an orderly, also female, the doctor went through the series of usual tests I was accustomed to undergoing by now, along with the occasional rounds of questioning, as needed. As I sat in her office once again when it was all over, I waited anxiously for the doctor to return. My palms were sweaty by the time she came back into the room.

"All right, Cooper, I have your test results with me." Datapad in hand, Commander Osgood sat down in the chair behind her desk and looked up at me. "As far as any illnesses or physical impediments, you're clear across the board. It looks like your recent plasma wound has healed up quite nicely, and, as I'm sure you've noticed, that hand is still fully functional."

I tried my best to be patient as I took in the analysis. "Thanks for the good news, Commander. That mean I'm fit for duty, then?"

Osgood hesitated for a moment, and then, slowly, she gave me a smile. "Based on the tests, I _could _sign you off…if it weren't for one thing." Her smile widened. "Congratulations, Captain. Looks like you're about seven weeks pregnant."

Though I'd all but expected the confirmation by now, my head still started to reel the second she said the words. That probably best explained the reason why I couldn't think of an intelligent reply.

"Is this your first pregnancy, Cooper?"

"N-no, second. I was pregnant with my son a few years ago. But…" _But things were a lot different back then_, I thought._ We had no idea the Flood even existed…and we weren't all fighting for our survival as a species on humanity's homeworld._ There was enough time and not a whole lot of danger involved in having a kid then. Now, since I could no longer fight in the final battle against humanity's extinction, it was not only dangerous for me, but also for my unborn child.

The doctor, however, continued to go on unperturbed. "Well, all pregnancies are different, of course, but at least you already have a general idea of what to expect this time around. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you why you've been feeling the way you have lately, right?"

"No, ma'am. It's morning sickness, I know. I…had it with my son, too." _Which is why I probably should have picked up on this a lot sooner, _I quietly rebuked myself.

"There you have it then, Captain," the commander said. "I assume you also know the standard procedure from here?"

"Uh, you'd better go over that, if you would, Commander. It's been a little over three years since I had to go through this last."

"Very well, Cooper." She set down her datapad and leaned back in her seat. "First, you will be moved from active-duty status to limited-duty for the remainder of your pregnancy. That means no combat missions, no frontline posts, and a helluva lot of deskwork in your near and immediate future. Your CO will also be notified of your circumstance and will, of course, have to abide by the restrictions you are now under. Is all of that clear, Captain?"

I swallowed; Major Phillips was definitely not going to like this when he found out. I knew I was going to get an earful for it. "Y-yes, ma'am."

"Good. That's about all I've got for you then, at least for now." Commander Osgood paused. "You'll be coming in for your first check-up in a few days, and we will, of course, begin scheduling you for routine check-ups throughout your pregnancy. Anything your company's medic absolutely has to know in order to treat you in case of complications, we'll tell him. Everything else is kept confidential."

"I understand, Commander."

"All right. You're dismissed then, Marine."

* * *

It was only once the initial daze and astonishment were over, long after I'd left the doctor's office, that the news finally sank in for me. A grin spread wide across my face as I lay back on my bunk in my quarters, and I let out a light chuckle as it all hit home.

I just couldn't help it.

I knew I could no longer be a part of the war, that I couldn't be Bravo Company's commander anymore---at least, not in the field. I also knew that this was just about the worst possible time for something like this to happen, and that there were Covenant---and, more frightening still, Flood---still on the loose all across the planet. That the chances for the survival of my very species were once again on the low end of things.

But I was carrying Willis's and my second child. The baby we'd been wanting for so long had unexpectedly arrived, and that made me incredibly happy right now.

Still grinning, I slipped a hand underneath the bottom of my T-shirt and placed it lightly on my stomach. Then I said softly, "Hey, kiddo. Wait until your daddy hears about this. He's going to be just as glad as me."


	12. Chapter 11: Leftovers

**Chapter Eleven: Leftovers**

**1514 Hours, December 25, 2552. On Approach to the City of Nijmegen, Holland.** **"The Investigation," Planet Earth.** **Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

Unaware that he now had his second child on the way, Captain William "Willis" Hawk continued to focus on the readouts popping up on his D77H-TCI Pelican cockpit's display. The bottom right-hand corner of the screen---perhaps most important for him in his capacity as commander---showed his squadron's deployment order, consisting only of himself and Heat for today, and kept track of all the birds in green blips for him. The rest of the screen served as a tactical board, showing Hawk where the enemy was in the form of red blips across a dark background, among other things. So far, thankfully, his boards were still blank, but Willis knew that that could change in an instant. He remained alert.

This follow-up mission to Hawk and Heat's earlier patrol had been Major Collins's idea. Once Willis had discovered the downed Covenant ship, his CO had wanted to get an up-close look of the place, and she'd sent the experienced pair out along with a half-dozen Marines each. They were to land the troops as a sort of security team in case things got hairy dirtside, do a little detailed recon, and get back out. "Quick and easy, Captain," Collins had said to Willis.

Captain Hawk, however, had wanted to snort at her laconic conclusion. Nothing was ever quick and easy with the Flood.

Even as Willis and his wingmate approached the area where he'd first spotted the crashed enemy space vessel, he felt the fear beginning to well up inside him. He knew what the parasite was capable of, and he dreaded having to meet them again. More than anything, Hawk hoped that he was wrong and that the growth was something else.

_Focus, Hawk, _Willis thought to himself then. _You're in command now. You've got to learn to keep your cool and lead these men no matter what you find. _He took in a deep breath. _In, out, done. Remember that._

"Sir? Is something wrong, Captain?"

Willis finally came out of his musings and glanced over at his co-pilot, Second Lieutenant Karen Howard. He hadn't really heard the question, but he gathered from her expression that she was worried. _And that's exactly what I _don't_ want to project to my subordinates, _Hawk thought.

"Nothing's wrong yet, El-Tee," Hawk said with a small but reassuring grin. "It's just, if that stuff that's on the Covie ship's what I think it is, then we may have a tougher time on this recon run than Major Collins suggested."

Howard continued to have that same dubious look on her face, though now she nodded and seemed a bit placated. When she didn't reply back, Willis took the opportunity to broadcast his voice over the general channel, speaking to both his wingmate and their combined twelve Marines sitting in the two Pelicans' troop bays.

"Marines, this is Talon, designation Gold Leader," Captain Hawk said in a firm tone. "We'll be landing five klicks north of the site in about fourteen minutes. I want the security detail to lock and load and be ready to jump out of the belly the moment we hit dirt. Howard, Jacobson, and Heat, strap on your armor and grab a gun once the others set up a perimeter around the birds. If we do this right, we'll avoid any unpleasant encounters or overnight stays. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" his three pilots replied. Willis watched as the other Marines winked green acknowledgment lights across his screen as well.

Eleven more minutes.

Willis was nothing if not relieved when he finally did find a decent place to touch down. He hated the waiting almost as much as Cooper did, those anxious minutes, or sometimes even hours, spent contemplating what would happen when the enemy arrived. It was almost better to engage and get the skirmish over with than to have those quiet moments alone that slowly made you nuts.

The first thing he did once he'd landed his Pelican, after ordering the Marines from both crafts to form up a loose perimeter around the ships, was quickly peel the family photo off the cockpit. Stuffing the picture into the breast pocket of his flight uniform, Hawk then donned torso armor over it and picked up an MA5C assault rifle from the troop bay before finally stepping out.

Trying to ignore the bitter cold wind outside, Willis addressed his pilots and Marine ride-along team as he loaded the first clip of ammo into his weapon. He hoped he wouldn't need it.

"All right, everybody. We all know what to do. We've got five klicks to go in fifteen minutes though a buttload of snow. Luckily it's clear today, so this should go pretty fast. Victor?"

One of the Marines from Lieutenant Heat's group, an older, seasoned sergeant and leader of the team, looked up. "Sir?"

"I want you and your Marines to maintain watch around the birds while we're out. Keep yourselves silent and keep yourselves hidden. You can alert me immediately via datapad about any incoming enemies---Covie or Flood. I'll be sure to get back out here fast and get you guys support."

"Yes, sir."

Captain Hawk gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, then turned his attention to his six Marines. "For the rest of you, you're coming with me. Let's form up in a loose patrol column for now, and then we'll tighten it back up once we get to the ship. I'll take point for the trip there, Howard can take it on the trip back."

With his commands issued, Willis set off with his co-pilot and small group of Marines. First Lieutenant Brandon Heat had remained with the Pelicans as a standby craft, along with his co-pilot, Second Lieutenant David Jacobson. If they needed a rapid exit---which, with either the Flood or the Covenant, was often a nice backup plan---at least Hawk and his team would be ready.

Though a fair amount of it was accomplished by trudging through mounds of fresh snow, the march to the downed Covenant ship wasn't the hard part. For Willis, the hard part was overcoming the natural inclination to immediately get as far away from anything that might be Flood-infested as possible, and instead continue to lead his men right to it.

Much of the wind had died down by the time the huge Covenant ship was in sight, but the air outside was frigid just the same. Hawk had left his flight helmet in the cockpit of his Pelican, as it was meant only for piloting, though he suddenly wished he'd kept it for warmth if nothing else.

Bringing his MA5C to bear as he lifted his boots out of the snow, Captain Hawk went down on one knee and called for a halt once he was about a hundred meters out. The partially iced-over alien vessel loomed large above him, keeping Hawk, his co-pilot, and the other Marines in dark shadow. This definitely looked like a good place for the Flood to come out and attack any curious passerby.

"I wonder if they engineered this," Willis muttered, turning to face Lieutenant Howard while she slowly walked up to him. She was gripping her own MA5C tight, though Willis could tell by her not-quite-scared expression that she'd never seen the parasite firsthand before.

"I'm sorry, sir, what?" the second lieutenant inquired.

It took Hawk an extra second to remember what he'd said; he was simply mesmerized by the shear size of an enemy spaceship this close. They always seemed so much smaller when he was piloting a Longsword Interceptor out in orbit, but here on the ground…

Willis frowned. "Just thinking aloud, El-Tee. When I was fighting in Austria with my wife's unit, we…spent several hours in a Covenant camp that had been taken over entirely by these things. It was the first time any of us had ever seen them." He swallowed, trying not to think about how those had been the worst hours of his life. Even seeing what had become of that son of a bitch Ethan, who'd once landed Natalie in the hospital because he'd beaten her so badly, had shaken Willis to his core. It wasn't that the bastard hadn't deserved a death like that---he deserved that and more for what he'd put Willis's future wife through, at least in Hawk's perspective---but what the Flood had been able to do to Ethan's body. The corpse hadn't just been bloodied, but torn, _twisted_…

"Captain?"

Hawk quickly shook himself out of the memory. He'd had enough nightmares about being trapped in the Flood-infested encampment since then, and he certainly didn't want to relive it in his waking hours. "Yeah, the camp. We discovered about halfway in that the Flood had kept some of the humans prisoner for a while, and I was surprised that they'd been able to…well, conceive of something like that. So I was thinking that maybe they did the same here, with this ship."

"You mean they _decided_ on their own to take it over for a reason, Captain?" Second Lieutenant Howard got a disgusted look on her face as she stared up at the parasitic growth along the exposed parts of the ship's hull, then shrugged. "I wouldn't know, sir. I've never even---"

"Contacts!" Willis heard Corporal Sam Reyes, his Marine team's leader, suddenly shout. "Sir, I've got at least a…holy shit. I've got at least a dozen red dots across my HUD, Captain. The Covies are coming for us!"

But even as Willis brought his rifle around to target the enemy, he could see that what was approaching him and his small team weren't the Covenant at all. It was the Flood.

"Those aren't Covies, Corporal!" Captain Hawk hollered back. "Marines, let's stay tight and wait for my order to open fire. And whatever you do, don't let any of the poppers get anywhere on you!"

_This is one hell of a Christmas present, _the captain thought to himself then, as ice-cold drops of sweat began making their way down his back. _I swear, if any of my men today get taken over by the parasite, I'll never be able to live with myself. _

The rapidly bounding Flood had made it about half the distance across before Willis gave the command. All at once, eight Marines, including Hawk and his co-pilot, opened fire with either assault rifles or submachine guns.

Captain Hawk concentrated his fire on the Flood Infection forms first, hoping to thin out the crowd of jumping poppers before they got close enough to take a stab at his Marines. If he'd learned anything at all during his time in the Covie camp, it was how quickly those things could mince your body---and then, eventually, turn it into an organic vessel for destruction and propagation.

The Infection forms, however, were a lot faster than the others of their kind.

As Willis kept his trigger finger pulled down and emptied a second clip into the incoming wave of horror vid creatures, he noted that some of the little tentacle balloon things had already made it uncomfortably close to his men. He quickly shredded a quintet of the things in less than a second, not even pausing to watch them burst into confetti-like ribbons of diseased flesh, hoping to keep them at bay long enough to get a closer look at the ship. But more were on their way.

"Keep firing, Marines!" Willis yelled above the din just before the second wave came in. "Just fill 'em with lead so they don't get near!"

Much of the renewed attack consisted of ex-Covenant now, not the abundant but easy to kill poppers. Hawk slapped in a fourth clip of ammo as seven huge Brute Flood forms leapt into their midst. Willis noticed one in particular going for the Marine closest to him, Second Lieutenant Howard, and she'd just finished her clip as well.

"Howard, get down!" Captain Hawk yelled.

Realizing his co-pilot wouldn't be fast enough, Willis sprinted hard before tackling her to the ground, right as the Flood form swung its beefy arm hard and fast to try to slap her away. Having seen one of his wife's Marines eat it during the campaign in Lienz---and having been a recipient of a lovely good-bye slap from Ethan himself---Hawk knew that a Flood form's brute strength was often more dangerous than the weapon it wielded.

The captain and his co-pilot landed hard in the snow, but not as hard as they would have had they been hit. Willis quickly rolled off Howard and jumped back to his feet, noticing while he completed the motion that the Flood beast was already cocking its arm for another go. He took only a half-second to point his assault rifle at the abdomen of the creature, and then fired.

Hawk didn't let go of the trigger until he'd emptied almost his entire clip, watching as chunks of old skin and tissue blew off the ex-Brute in chunks, slivers, and bursts of sickly yellow fluid. The creature let out several of the characteristic Flood wails while it bucked back from multiple bullet impacts, but it was the final loud groan the thing expelled as it died that rang in Willis's ears.

By the time he realized the Flood beast had finally been killed, Willis had spent the remainder of his clip shooting into the creature's head as well. He'd seen the things rise up from the dead before, and he didn't want to risk anything.

About the same time, Hawk noted that the constant rattle of his Marines' weapons had also stopped. He turned from staring down at the Brute Flood form he'd just taken out and looked at his team instead. "Status?"

"All…all present and accounted for, sir," Corporal Reyes replied, his voice hoarse and sounding out of breath from the brief skirmish. "One minor injury for PFC Selmus, dislocated shoulder. But he'll be fine, Captain."

Willis nodded, stepping over to where his co-pilot was standing while he took in the report. "How're you holding up, El-Tee? Are you hurt?"

Lieutenant Howard shook her head and answered firmly, though judging by the look on her face, she was visibly shaken from the encounter. "No, sir, I'm ok. Thanks for saving my ass."

"No problem."

As Captain Hawk assembled the Marines once more, he stayed close to Howard but kept his focus on the strange growth all along the side of the Covenant ship. He wasn't going to order his Marines inside, not today---they didn't have the manpower for that kind of an operation at present, and anyway, they'd found out what they needed to know. There was no doubt that the Flood were indeed in control of the ship now. But the main question was, had the parasite happened to come along and find and take over the Covenant vessel once it was crashed?

Or while it was still operating somewhere in space?

In cases like these, Hawk was naturally inclined to come up with a viable theory on what had happened himself. But with so little known about the Flood still---at least to the common soldier or civilian---Willis wasn't even sure where to start on this one. Not yet, anyway. He had to do some thinking.

"So…that's the Flood, huh?" Lieutenant Howard asked quietly as they marched along.

"Yeah," Willis replied. He glanced over at his co-pilot, who seemed to have taken point as well now that they were walking side-by-side, and saw a few drops of blood spilling from a cut above her left eye. He suddenly felt bad for bowling her over like that, but he knew she would've been in much worse shape if he hadn't. "That's the Flood, Howard."

She snorted as she wiped the blood rolling slowly into her eye. "This has been a helluva Christmas Day so far, sir."

Hawk wasn't sure what to say, so he simply nodded. But in his mind, he thought, _Any day you come across the Flood and survive is a good day. _


	13. Chapter 12: Passing the Mantel

**Chapter Twelve: Passing the Mantel**

**1400 Hours, December 28, 2552. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador. "The Relinquishing of Command," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

It took me a few days to really get used to the idea before I started to decide who I should tell. I wanted Willis to be the first, of course, but short of sending him a letchip, which I'd already done but would take ages for him to receive, there wasn't a way for me to get into contact with him. So it came down to Dean Lewis, my best friend and my XO. I'd have to tell him anyway, since he was going to have to take over a lot of my main duties as commanding officer of Bravo Company from now on.

After going through the morning's PT and training sessions with the company, I called him into my office before I started in on the afternoon paperwork. Bravo was scheduled for a combat patrol in about an hour, and he would wonder why I wasn't going when I didn't show up.

My new aide, Corporal Joshua Porter, stepped into the room first. He was a young kid of twenty-two, with short dark brown hair and blue eyes, and was always ready with a fierce scowl whenever anyone so much as mentioned the Covenant. I'd read in his file that, much like my first aide, his whole family had been killed when his homeplanet was glassed some years ago. He'd joined the Marines at seventeen, just before his parents and younger brother had died. Though his past and his attitude toward the Covenant made his personality rather dark at times, he was a pretty friendly and obedient kid when it came to interacting with fellow Marines or superior officers. I liked him a lot, and I hoped that this time, his being assigned as my aide wouldn't condemn him to an untimely death.

"Ma'am?" Dressed in an impeccable uniform as always, Corporal Porter stood and waited patiently for me to nod before going on. "First Lieutenant Dean Lewis is here to see you, Captain."

"Thank you, Corporal. Send him in."

"Right away, ma'am."

As soon as Lewis walked in, Porter shut the door behind himself. The lieutenant started to go into the proper military customs when I cut him off.

"Dean, this is kind of an informal meeting. Just go ahead and take a seat."

My friend gave me a questioning look, but didn't say anything other than, "Yes, ma'am," as he sat down. Once he noticed that I wasn't speaking yet, his expression intensified and grew a little more worried. "Natalie, is something the matter? Is that why you've called me in here on unofficial business?"

I chuckled as I leaned back in my chair. "No, I'm ok, Lewis. I just didn't want to have to deal with all the ritual beforehand."

Seeing that I was at ease, Lewis finally relaxed as well. The curious look on his face remained, though. "And may I inquire as to the purpose of this, then?"

"Sure." A slight smile formed on my face. "You know how you thought I was making myself sick with worry?"

"Yes," Lieutenant Lewis answered hesitantly.

"Well, let's just say it turns out I have a lot more in common with your wife than you think."

He stared at me with brows raised for quite some time before he finally understood. Then he let out a short laugh.

"Ah, I knew it, Cooper. I've no doubt William's near-death was an awful event for you to handle, regardless of your current circumstance, but you're normally not the sort to go blubbering about." He smiled. "Congratulations, Natalie. I know the two of you have been wanting this for a while now."

"Yeah. Thanks, Dean. I'm really happy, and I can't wait to tell Will." I suddenly frowned. "It's just, I've also inadvertently caused a ton of problems for the company now, too. I was hoping to get that all straightened out as soon as possible."

Dean nodded. "I am here to help, Captain."

"Well, first of all, you know I'm not going to be commanding in the field anymore, so you're going to effectively be Bravo Company's commander from now on."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll still handle all the logistics and administration stuff, but once I meet with Phillips, he's going to restrict me from field duty. I'm trusting you to step up for that, Lewis."

"Of course, ma'am."

"As far as what else goes on on my end of things, I'll try to help you guys out as much as I'm able. I can still plan maneuvers, but I can't do any of the actual fighting for you guys. You have to be my eyes and ears on the ground, Dean."

"I understand perfectly, Captain."

"And then there's still the problem of first platoon." I let out a sigh, then met my friend's gaze once more. "I think it's finally time to promote Hillburn to first lieutenant, Lewis, and let her take over officially."

My XO quirked an eyebrow at me. "You believe she is ready now?"

I contemplated the question carefully before I replied, "In some ways, she still has a lot to learn. I noticed a few things in particular during Operation Everest that I didn't necessarily feel were good leadership qualities. But she also proved herself, especially in the forest battle, and she's been doing well ever since." I shrugged. "She's solid, Dean, and I need a permanent platoon leader. I really think Hillburn's the answer."

"Very well," Lewis said. "It is your call, Captain, so I'll go along with that. Anything else?"

Suddenly grinning, I answered, "Oh, yeah, Dean. There's a _lot_ more."

My best friend groaned in mock disappointment, and then we both settled in on ironing out some of Bravo Company's issues---not the least of which was the changing of command.

It was during the talk with my executive officer that I started to feel a pang of regret. Not for getting pregnant, of course, but for no longer being able to lead my own company because of it. Even if temporarily, I was going to have to let Bravo, _my_ Marines, go. That was a hard reality for me to accept.

I was going to have to entrust the lives of my men to someone else…and, even though that someone else was Dean and I trusted him fully, I still didn't like that fact at all.


	14. Chapter 13: Rewards for a Job Well Done

**Chapter Thirteen: Rewards for a Job Well Done**

**0832 Hours, January 7, 2553. UNSC Roosevelt Air Base, Skagen, Denmark.** **"The Reprieve," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

Willis had spent the whole week after his recon mission in debriefing sessions with his CO, and now he was getting a little tired of it all. _Ok, _Hawk thought to himself with a sigh. _Maybe that's a tiny exaggeration, but still. This is the seventh time in twelve days Major Collins has called me into her office about the damn Flood._

Of course, Heat, his co-pilot Jacobson, Howard, and the other Marines who'd gone on the mission had all had extensive debriefings with the major as well. She'd gotten orders straight from the top to look into this new threat, and dammit if she wasn't carrying them out to the letter.

The parasite was a serious issue, but Willis knew as well as anyone with half a brain that being obsessive and paranoid about certain things didn't make you any more knowledgeable about them-or safer from them. There were many better ways to spend the nearly two weeks Major Collins had used up compiling her reports. One was actually fighting the Covenant and Flood, both of whom were at this moment trying to annihilate the human race.

The other, Willis thought, was seeing his family.

He knew he was pushing his luck just by thinking the words. He'd been by far one of the most fortunate Marines in probably his entire air group in that respect. Although Captain Hawk hadn't seen his two-and-a-half-year-old son in almost six months, even that seemed little in comparison to some of his fellow pilots' family situations. Willis was also lucky with regards to his wife, whom he'd seen just a bit over two months ago.

But none of that changed the fact that he still missed both of them a lot. As hard as those weeks he'd spent fighting with Cooper had been, always worrying during the battles that she'd end up hurt or dead or-now, with the Flood-worse, he'd been glad that at least he was with her.

"Captain Hawk? Major Collins will see you now, sir."

Hawk came out of his reverie and nodded to his commanding officer's aide. "Thank you, Sergeant."

The noncom opened the door for Willis then, and he stepped inside Collins's office. His CO addressed him before he could salute.

"Hawk, I called you in here to speak with you. And not about the Flood, for once."

"Ma'am?"

Major Collins cracked a rare smile. "How would you like a chance to see your wife and son, Captain?"

Willis was so shocked for a minute that when he opened his mouth to reply, nothing came out. _Oh, man, _he thought to himself. _I thought it was impossible to get that kind of time off right now. But Gabe's being kept in a secure facility; I'm not sure I'd get access, even though I'm his father._

"I…would really love that, Major. What do I have to do, ma'am?"

"With the excellent job you did on the last patrol, Captain, I believe you've done enough already." Major Collins gave him a meaningful look as she spoke. "What you discovered was astounding, William. If the parasite is truly capable of that kind of reasoning, the UNSC needs to know in order to better combat it. And you and your team were able to attain that information for us." She paused. "I'm afraid that with the war effort going on, I can't offer you much in the way of leave, Hawk-especially given your new capacity as squadron commander. The best I can do is thirty-six hours."

Captain Hawk suddenly grinned wide; he couldn't believe his good luck. "I'll take it, ma'am. I haven't seen my kid in half a year, and my wife in a couple months." Even a day and a half was more than Willis could have ever hoped for. He didn't think he'd be able to see his son with all the security measures in place, although he wanted to badly. Cooper seemed easiest to visit. He wasn't quite sure whether she'd still be in the same place or not, though.

"Major? Is there any way for me to find out if my wife's unit is still stationed in Argentina?"

Collins frowned in thought as she pulled out her datapad. "Give me her name, rank, and unit, son."

"Captain Natalie Cooper, ma'am. She's the commanding officer of Bravo Company in the 102nd Battalion, 603rd Infantry Regiment," Willis answered.

His CO spent only a few seconds searching the UNSC Marine Corps database for the name before she looked up at him again. "Says here that Captain Cooper, Natalie M. is now in Portoviejo, Ecuador, along with the rest of her battalion. The 102nd was just transferred there a short while ago."

Hawk nodded, finally realizing that he should probably keep his composure in front of Collins. The grin continuing to creep across his face was hard to get rid of, however, especially in circumstances such as these. "Thank you, Major. Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it, son. Just remember to return on time, Captain."

"Yes, ma'am. Of course."

Willis gave her a crisp salute, unable to completely make his expression look more serious, and pulled a quick about face before exiting the room. He had no idea how he'd managed it, and he had no idea how he'd gotten that lucky. But now he had some leave-albeit short-to see Natalie for the first time since they'd left each other in Salzburg, after the intense fighting they'd been through in Austria. The only deal better than that would've been if he could see his son as well, but that would still, sadly, have to wait.

For now, the captain was glad just the same.

Packing for such a short trip wouldn't take long. And, with one of the small, prototype single-man jets the UNSC had yet to name-only Hawk's squadron had been given the honor of testing it so far, after their successful testing and later integration of the new D77-TCI Pelican model-Willis could get to South America in just a few hours.

_Yeah_, Hawk thought to himself with a smirk as he walked to his quarters to pack. _I'm definitely one helluva fortunate bastard._


	15. Chapter 14: Delivering the Good News

**Chapter Fourteen: Delivering the Good News**

**1155 Hours, January 7, 2553. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador.** **"The Arrival," Planet Earth. Prologue to the Fate of Humanity**

Sitting in the mess hall after going through the morning's calisthenics and twelve-mile run with my company, I absently watched as other military personnel came and went to get chow. The New Year celebrations had come and gone in the past week, mostly in a rather muted form of fanfare; keeping the Covies off base and trying to bring the war to a decisive end had now taken priority over the usual excitement of the holidays. Especially since the UNSC was now entering its twenty-eighth year of combat against the Covenant.

_What a milestone_, I thought bitterly. _I'm almost twenty-six years old now, and the Human-Covenant War started two years before I was even born. Yet here we are, _still_ fighting these alien bastards. _

I wished now more than ever that I could have joined my Marines in today's operations, but I knew it wasn't possible. Bravo Company was currently getting ready to go out on perimeter watch, and both Doc Reynolds and Commander Osgood, my physician, had forbidden me to participate. So instead, I got to have a few hours to myself while First Lieutenant Dean Lewis led the combat patrol.

I chose to take a seat in a quiet part of the mess, difficult to find at this hour, and drank some juice; any other conceivable liquid that I usually enjoyed, such as coffee or alcohol, was now off-limits. And, since the smell of nearly all the food here frequently made me nauseous, I decided to stick to my OJ for the moment.

One thing I wasn't expecting as I watched Marines file in and out of the hall, however, was to hear my name called out by the most familiar voice of all.

"Cooper?"

As I turned my head in the direction of the opposite doorway into the huge room, it took me a while to spot who'd shouted for me. But I knew who it was instantly---even if it seemed impossible.

He was standing in the middle of a throng of uniformed men and women, dressed in a worn flight suit. His golden brown hair, grown out a lot from his last head-shave but still kept short, was slightly disheveled from wearing a flight helmet, and he looked tired from whatever he'd had to go through for the past few weeks. His hazel eyes, though, were bright as he grinned wide at me.

"Willis?" I asked incredulously once he was standing a few feet away.

"Hi, Natalie. I see you're not in Argentina anymore." My husband didn't move just yet, but continued to grin. "You look surprised, honey."

"The 102nd Battalion just got transferred here a little while ago. I didn't think you would've heard yet," I explained, grinning back at him as I got up out of my seat to walk over. "And I thought you were supposed to be in Denmark."

"Thirty-six-hour leave," Willis replied. "We've been fighting around Europe for weeks, and I guess I did something right 'cause I got a few hours off to come visit you."

There were regulations against public displays of affection, but I couldn't go without at least giving my husband a giant hug; I hadn't seen him in two months. Willis hugged me tight in return, and we stood there for a while before he released me.

"It's really great to see you, Coop."

"You, too, Will."

His grin widened as he leaned in to kiss me, but much as I didn't want to, I stopped him.

"Rules, honey," I said simply, aware of a few heads turned in our direction.

Willis, though, seemed unperturbed. His face remained close to mine. "It's ok, Cooper. I'm a captain now, too."

I barely had time to notice the twin silver bar insignia stitched onto his flight suit before he completed his move. The kiss was full of emotion but short, since anyone in the mess right now could easily turn us in for the violation. Still, that didn't stop me from quickly kissing him back.

Smirking at him once we broke apart, I said, "That may be so, Mister, but that still doesn't mean we're allowed to make out in public. Come on, let's go sit."

We returned to the table I'd been seated at a moment ago, Willis sitting down opposite me, and I started to feel a little nervous as soon as he smiled at me. I knew he wanted another kid, too, but I wasn't sure how he'd react now that it was actually a reality. So I started out with a more neutral topic.

"Congrats on making captain," I said to him, reaching across the table to tap his chest, where the insignia was displayed. I stared at it for a moment longer before grinning at my husband. God, it was great to have him with me again. "How's command treating you so far?"

He shrugged, the smile quickly spreading across his face. It had a tired quality beneath the warmth, however, a detail I didn't miss. "Not too bad, I guess. I've had to make some tough decisions already; leading the whole squadron is definitely a hard job. But the perks that come with the rank aren't bad."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's a bittersweet position, but, in the end, I always feel better that it's me leading my men, and not someone else." _Which is why I feel so bad that I can't be there for Bravo anymore, _I thought to myself. I'd had my fair share of awful commanders in my years in the Corps---specifically the captain I'd served under as a first lieutenant in the Heathan forest campaign, where I'd not only been gravely wounded, but had also been the sole survivor of my entire platoon---to be so optimistic about _everyone's_ abilities. "I know I'll take care of them to the best of my abilities, but I can't say that for anyone else."

My husband didn't comment for a moment, and for the first time in a while, I wasn't sure what to make of the expression that crossed his features. I figured I'd ask him about it later; he'd certainly have enough to think about when I told him I was---

"Speaking of which, how's Bravo Company doing, Coop?"

"Pretty good," I replied absently, taking a swallow of juice. "Lewis took them out on patrol just now, so I'm pretty much killing time until they get back."

"Oh. You didn't go with them?"

Lost in my thoughts, it was only once Willis gave me a quizzical look that I realized what I'd said. When I didn't answer right away, he took a deep breath and tried again.

"Is everything ok, Cooper? Are you sick, or hurt anywhere?"

"No." I calmly shook my head, then grabbed his hand as a small smile formed on my face. "Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just…I can't really fight anymore."

My husband furrowed his brow, confused. It took him a minute, but the expression soon gave way to hesitant surprise.

"Wait a second. Natalie, you're not…" He lowered his voice and leaned forward a little. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

Squeezing his hand, I took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, Will. I'm pregnant."

For the first few seconds after I told him, Willis looked completely stunned. He sat back hard in his chair, seeming a bit dazed, and muttered, "Uh, wow, Coop." Then, as the news sank in, his face suddenly lit up, and he let out an equally nervous and excited chuckle. "Really?"

"Trust me, I wouldn't joke about something like this." I couldn't help but smirk at his reaction. "I'm about eight to nine weeks along now."

"Holy shit." He grinned. It was genuine at first, but rapidly morphed into a more mischievous expression. "So…I guess we didn't have to try that hard for another kid after all, huh?"

"Willis, we weren't _supposed_ to be trying _at all_ right now." I suddenly felt my face turning red, and I hated that there was nothing I could do to hide it. "This…wasn't supposed to happen until the war was over. That was our deal." _And we both screwed it up by not being careful enough_, I added to myself.

My husband frowned. "You're not happy about this?"

"Of course I'm happy, honey. I really wanted this, too." Though I kept my tone soft, I couldn't help but let out a sigh before going on. "This just isn't the right time, Will. We still have a war to win, and I still have a company to lead. Now I can't do that anymore."

Willis's smile returned then, but it was more sheepish now. "Oh, yeah. I didn't really think about that part."

"Not only that, but this is…a really dangerous time, Willis. I don't want anything to happen to our baby, but I can't guarantee where the Covies---or, God forbid, the Flood---will strike next." Sliding both of my hands through my hair, I let out a sigh before unconsciously placing one of them on my stomach. I used the other to grasp my husband's hand again. "I'm just worried about all of this, Will. My company, the war, our kids…"

"I know, honey. I'm worried about everything, too," Willis replied, "and I know it's a lot." He squeezed my hand and looked me in the eyes. "But we'll get through this, Cooper, all right? We'll get through this just like we've gotten through everything else."

Before I had a chance to answer, a group of boisterous Marines came to occupy the table next to us. I managed to sit there for all of thirty seconds before the scent wafting over from their trays overwhelmed my olfactory senses and the nausea took over.

"Willis…"

With a hand over my mouth, I quickly got up and made a beeline for the nearest bathroom---the one in my office. I'd just finished puking my breakfast from earlier this morning when I heard my husband rush into the room.

"Natalie?" he called from the front of my office.

I slowly eased myself into a kneeling position, still hunched over the toilet and gripping its sides as I tried to recover. God, this morning sickness thing was getting really old. "Over…over here, Will. In the adjoining bathroom," I managed.

As soon as I saw him leaning against the doorframe, I shut my eyes hard, took a deep breath, and rested my forehead against cold ceramic.

"Will? I think I just want to live near a toilet bowl for the rest of my life. Is that ok with you?"

He chuckled. "No problem, Coop. For the next several months, I'll go along with whatever you want."

Willis stepped into the room for the first time then, and came up to stand behind me. I felt his hands grip my shoulders before I heard him speak. His tone was serious all of a sudden, but also soft and filled with concern. "Was it like this when you were pregnant with Gabe, too?"

I nodded, wishing I had the energy left to wipe the beads of sweat off my temple. "Yeah. Wasn't so fun then, either."

Now that my stomach seemed to be mostly quelled, he leaned down to wrap his arms around me from behind, then rested his chin on my shoulder. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there with you, Natalie," he said quietly.

"You were there when it counted, Will." Patting his hand with my own, I leaned back into his embrace and closed my eyes once more. "You were there when I first found out, and most importantly, you were there when he was born."

"Well, hopefully this time, I'll get to be there for you and the baby more. But so far, it's not looking so good, Cooper."

"That's ok," I said with a short laugh. "I'd rather you not have to deal with my mood swings." I reopened my eyes and stared at the toilet in front of me. "Or even this, really."

My husband chuckled a second time. "Yeah, maybe we should get out of the bathroom, huh?"

He let go of me then and offered to help me back on my feet, but I was feeling much better now without the nausea-inducing smells around. We both stood from the floor, washed our hands, and then Willis waited in my office while I quickly rinsed out my mouth and brushed my teeth twice.

Morning sickness definitely wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and I was finding that to be just as true in my second pregnancy as it had been in my first. But whenever I caught myself putting a hand on my abdomen out of reflex, I mostly forgot about the hardships. I knew it was Willis's and my kid in there, and that when he or she was finally born, it would all be worth it.


	16. Chapter 15: Time Well Spent

**Chapter Fifteen: Time Well Spent**

As soon as we entered my quarters at the end of the day, Willis wrapped me in a tight hug and kissed me. I hugged him back and, with both of us now grinning ear-to-ear, kissed him hard in return. It was a miracle I'd even been able to see him today, since from what I'd heard lately, no one was getting leave at such a critical time in the war effort. But here he was nonetheless---and not a moment too soon, since I'd found out I was pregnant with our second child just a short time ago.

Back in the mess hall earlier, we'd been restricted by our ranks and by military regulations from exhibiting too much emotion. But now that we were here in my quarters, we could allow ourselves to react more naturally to the news that we were going to be increasing our family by one.

When we finally managed to pull apart, Willis rested his forehead against mine, his arms still around me but not as tight. "You have no idea how happy I am right now, Coop."

"Me, too, honey."

Sure, it was going to be hard going through having a kid at a time like this, when everyone's future was so uncertain and the planet was such a mess. So was relinquishing command of my Marines to Lieutenant Lewis. But I'd wanted another child with Willis for so long now---both of us had---that I was still glad it had happened.

Willis kissed me softly on the lips then. "I love you, Natalie."

"I love you, too, Will," I replied, kissing him back.

He chuckled lightly as he buried his face in my hair. "I've wanted this ever since you came home from Cote D'Azur, Natalie. But I knew you couldn't afford to take the time out to have another kid until the war was over, so I'd resigned myself to the fact that we'd just have to wait. I never thought…I never thought we'd get to have this kid now."

"Yeah, me least of all," I said with a sheepish grin. "Guess fate has a way of deciding things for you, huh?"

"Well, actually, Cooper," my husband retorted, smirking, "you did say our deal was to have a kid in a year or at the war's end, whichever came first. And your year would've been up in a few months, anyway."

I snorted. "Not quite, honey. The year would've been up in July, but I get your point." Sighing, I let go of him and sat down on the edge of my bunk instead. "Do you think it's been enough time for Bravo, Will? Having a steady commander for the last eight months?"

My husband grinned. "I sure as hell do, because otherwise we wouldn't be having another baby right now." Though his eyes remained bright, his expression sobered pretty quickly. "You're always so worried about your Marines, Cooper, but you don't realize that you don't always have to be. I was with you guys for weeks in Lienz, and I saw how you handle them, how well you take care of them. They know it, too, and they're grateful for it." He placed his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. "Now you finally get to take some time for yourself, Natalie, for us, and you deserve that. You deserve to do something for you and your family for once---without feeling guilty over what it'll mean for your company."

"I know." I glanced up from my boots and looked Willis in the eyes instead, taking one of his hands in my own as I spoke. "I was really happy when I found out I was pregnant, Will, and I still am; I don't regret it for a second. It's just…" I quirked my lips a little. "It's kinda hard to let go."

"Dean's a good guy, Natalie, and more importantly in this case, a good leader. You're a tough act to follow, to be sure, but I'm positive he won't be returning home with tales of any disastrous battles. He'll take good care of Bravo, Cooper. You just gotta trust him." Although he'd been standing before, Willis crouched down to my level then and leaned in to kiss me. "You gotta trust _me_."

"I _do_ trust you," I said with a smirk. "I'm having your child again, aren't I? That's gotta count for something."

He chuckled but, like before, he turned serious after a moment. This time, he placed his hand on my stomach, and I was instantly reminded of that day less than four years ago, when I'd told Willis I was pregnant for the first time. Apparently my husband didn't miss the connection, either, because his next words, spoken quietly, truly hit home for the both of us.

"I remember when you were pregnant with Gabriel. It's hard to think he'll be three soon."

"Yeah. What do you suppose he'll say about getting a new sibling?"

"Don't know." Willis grinned. "I think he'll love it, but I'm sure there'll be some sibling rivalry going on. There always was in my household, between me, Jamie, and Matthew. But you already know all about that."

"Yup." I smiled. "Mine, too, though. You guys had it good with just the three of you. There were _five_ of us Cooper kids vying for attention at my place, and Dad was hardly ever home." I shook my head at the memory. "We still loved the hell out of him, though. Wasn't his fault he was gone a lot."

"Part of being in the service."

"Yeah."

We were both silent for a while, Willis's hand moving from my stomach. A sudden thought drifted in from the back of my mind then, and I frowned. This wasn't the first time I'd thought of it, not by a longshot, but it was the first time I'd mentioned it to my husband.

I looked down at him again as he remained crouched in front of me. "Will?"

"Huh?"

"Do you think…do you think Gabe's going to grow up resenting us? For not being there for him all this time?"

I'd always felt bad for not being home with my son while Willis and I fought in the war---especially as these were his earliest years of life, a time when he needed his parents the most. Not a second went by that I didn't think about Gabriel; I loved him more than anything, and I would never be able to describe in words how awful it felt to be separated from my own child. Still, I knew that in the end, this was the best thing I could do for him right now. The best thing I could do for my family as a whole, to ensure we got a shot at life if we were finally able to defeat the Covenant one day. And to keep him safe.

Still, that didn't change the fact that, more often than not, Willis and I weren't as much a part of Gabe's life as we should or wanted to be. Now that we were getting ready to have another kid, these were things we'd have to think even harder about.

It took Willis some time to answer, but he eventually let out a sigh. "I don't know, Coop. I guess we'll find out as he gets older. But the fact that he'll be able to grow up at all will be all the proof we need to know we did the right thing, Cooper. Even if it did keep us apart."

Somehow, the words seem to put me at ease, at least for now. Despite their soundness, it probably had more to do with Willis's calming effect than anything else. Just another one of the many reasons why I'd married him.

My attention drifted back to my stomach as I felt Willis touch the spot again. He smiled when he looked up at me.

"I hope we have a little girl this time, Natalie. A little girl who's just as beautiful as you."

That did it. Once his lips touched mine after his statement, I took his head in my hands and gave him a passionate kiss back. Willis's arms snaked around me fast as we continued kissing, and then he half-stood to push me back against the bed. I pulled off my shirt while he unzipped his trousers, our breathing getting heavier and our movements more frantic as we kissed. A moment later his hands were working the fly on my own pants, though I purposely chose that instant to help him out of his shirt to stall him.

When it was off, I gently pushed one of his shoulders so that he rolled onto his back, holding me over him now. After I leaned down with a grin and kissed him, Willis stilled his hands for a moment to smirk up at me.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about you getting pregnant now, huh?"

I started laughing as I lightly slapped his cheek. "You're a terrible husband, Will, you know that?"

But apparently that was all right with Willis, as he simply grinned wider. "Good thing that's never stopped you from loving me."


	17. Chapter 16: Consequences

**Chapter Sixteen: All Actions Have Their Consequences**

I woke up the next morning to Willis prodding me sharply in the ribs---not enough to hurt, but enough that I'd noticed from a deep sleep. I grumbled some sort of incoherent complaint at him, still far from being fully awake, and rolled over in bed to face away from him.

Unfortunately for me, that didn't work. Since he couldn't reach me with his elbow anymore, I felt a strong hand grip my shoulder as he tried to shake me into complete alertness. As with the prodding, it wasn't too rough, but it wasn't gentle, either.

"Natalie, honey, wake up," Willis said, his lips at my ear. Though he sounded serious enough about whatever was going on, I also heard a hint of amusement in his voice when he added, "Come on. I know you can hear me, Coop."

I was about to give my husband a friendly morning greeting of, "Go away, and leave me alone" for waking me up, but then I heard the sound, too. Someone was knocking on the door to my quarters.

Instead of opening my eyes, even though I was pretty awake by now, I reached over the bunk with my hand and groped the nightstand. When I finally found what I was searching for, I rolled back over, eyes still closed, and handed it to Willis.

"You know what to do with that," I mumbled, burying my face in my pillow once more. "If it's Dean or Oliver, fire twice."

My husband chuckled, no doubt relieved that the pistol I'd handed him was actually missing its clip. It was the sidearm I kept for emergencies, in case the Covenant or Flood ever appeared on base unannounced. I kept the extra clips of ammo hidden inside the drawer of the nightstand, though, to prevent any accidental firings.

Still, that didn't stop Willis from commenting, "I take it this is one of your homicidal mornings, Cooper."

The knocking continued, louder this time, and I let out a frustrated groan as I finally gave in and opened my eyes. "You're damned right it is," I said to Willis in between a yawn. "Unless I'm out in the field, I don't like to be bothered when I'm trying to sleep."

"Well, looks like you don't have much of a choice, Coop. You'd better go answer the door."

And I would have, too, despite my mood, if it weren't for the problem of being properly attired. Neither of us was wearing anything under the sheets, so I nudged Willis and said, "No, you go, Will. You have less clothes to put on till you're considered decent."

Now it was Willis's turn to grumble, but he dragged himself out of bed quickly after the next booming knock. He tugged on his boxers fast, threw his uniform pants on over them, and went over to open the door.

"Good morning, Captain," I heard Major Benjamin Phillips's gruff, disembodied voice say to my husband.

"Uh, good morning, sir," Willis replied. I saw him run a quick hand over his hair. "Something I can do for you, Major?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," the major answered. "I need to see your wife right away, Hawk. Where is she?"

"She uh, she's still asleep, sir."

I knew Willis was stalling for me, but it didn't seem like Phillips was buying it.

"Well, wake Cooper up then, Captain. Tell her I want her in my office ASAP, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right. Carry on then."

"Sir!"

When Major Phillips finally left and Willis closed the door, I didn't even try to hide my amusement. I just burst out laughing…this despite the fact that I knew I was going to be dead the moment I entered my CO's office.

Though he tried to pretend he was mad at me for laughing at his expense, my husband eventually grinned as well. "Damn, Cooper. That was probably the most awkward experience I've ever had."

"Yeah, very smooth, Will. But hey, at least you weren't just standing there in your skivvies. That would've been worse."

Grunting a reply as he walked over to the bunk again, Willis pulled off his trousers and threw them back on the floor before returning to bed. He turned to face me once he was lying down, and I started laughing again. His second glare spoke volumes.

"I'm sorry, honey. I couldn't help it." Continuing to grin, I said, "Well, I guess I should get going, huh? Phillips didn't sound too happy."

"No, he didn't." Willis's face was suddenly very close to mine, and his grin turned mischievous as he realized I'd noticed. "But seeing as I'm _very _awake right now, and you're conveniently clothing-impaired at the moment…"

He leaned over and gave me a passionate kiss before I could say anything---and, without much input from my sleep-muddled brain, I found myself kissing him back. I knew things were getting out of hand fast when Willis wrapped his arms around me as we were making out, our breathing getting louder as our kisses became more and more feverish.

When he pressed his lips against my neck, I quickly said, already out of breath, "Will…" I paused as his lips unexpectedly met my own again, and then I ran my hands into his hair while I kissed him long and hard in return. "Will, we can't do this right now, you know. I have to leave."

It sounded like a joke by now, even to me, but I felt I had to try anyway.

Willis's throaty chuckle, however, did nothing to help my good intentions to depart. "I'm just following orders, Coop. The major did tell me to wake you up. He just didn't specify _how_."

Well, at this point, I certainly wasn't about to argue with that logic. Instead, I let out a chuckle myself as I let Willis kiss me again.

"Uh-huh," I said to him with a wicked grin of my own. "You're just taking advantage of the fact that I'm pregnant now and all my hormone levels are elevated, aren't you?"

My husband grinned at me, his voice maddeningly low. "That's definitely a good assumption, Cooper."

And in the end, with charm like that, I just couldn't say no to him.

* * *

I barely had enough time to shower before I went in to see Major Phillips. I'd dreaded this meeting ever since I'd first found out I was pregnant several days ago, and I'd been wondering when the major was finally going to call me on it. I guess the time was now.

Entering his office with a calm façade, I came to attention in front of his desk at once and saluted. "Sir! Captain Cooper reporting as requested, sir."

Though I forced my expression to remain neutral on the outside, I was hardly feeling that way on the inside. My anxiety only increased when I noticed that Phillips didn't appear to want to answer right away. He had me continue to stand at attention for longer than was usual, and he knew I realized exactly what he was doing.

In his own subtle way, he was letting me know, without even saying anything at all, that I'd made a colossal mistake as far as my duties as commanding officer of Bravo Company were concerned.

When he eventually did speak, after literal minutes had passed in silence with me still at attention, he said in a level tone, "At ease, Captain. We both know why I called you in here, so there won't be any skirting around the issue. Clear?"

I quickly nodded as I relaxed my posture. "Yes, sir."

The major let out a long sigh before he began. His first words were spoken in a heavy but even tone, not quite castigating as I'd thought they'd be, but the effect was surprisingly similar. "Natalie, this was a hell of a time for you to decide you wanted to expand your family."

Interlocking his fingers in front of him on his desk, he looked up at me for the first time, his expression harder than his tranquil pose would indicate. Phillips's voice suddenly took on a sharp edge as well. "Do you have any idea what this does to your company's dynamic, Cooper? Even to the battalion as a whole? Or was getting in a few good lays while your husband was in town more important than that?"

"Sir, I'm…I'm not really sure what to say."

"You don't _have_ to say anything, Captain. You're two months pregnant. And I can do the math as well as anyone else." The major heaved a second sigh, taking a moment to compose himself before going on. He was that angry. "As I explained _very_ clearly during my briefing for Operation Everest, Cooper, the UNSC has strict regulations concerning fraternization while on a mission. That includes persons of the same rank---which you and your husband were _not_ at the time, might I remind you---and that includes service members who are married to each other. Both of the latter situations are things we normally do not and cannot regulate; the UNSC certainly does not wish to impose on healthy marital conduct. But during combat operations, these rules are absolute necessities for the successful completion of a mission. Do you understand all of that, Captain?"

I swallowed. Though I had made absolute sure to wait until the entire battalion was out of harm's way and in a protected rest area to be with Willis, technically what we'd done in Salzburg had still been during the mission. It didn't much matter that we'd gone weeks sticking to the regs by the letter during the actual mission itself, when my company and I were in the midst of the fighting---at least not in the major's eyes. And definitely not in the eyes of a judge, either, if Phillips decided to court-martial me for it.

"Yes, sir. I understand, Major," I replied solemnly.

"Good. Because you're lucky I'm not court-martialing and demoting you. Between the Flood and the Covenant, I have enough to do as it is, without using up precious time and resources to punish my officers." His stern gaze became even more severe for a moment. "But I _should_ be demoting you at the very least for this, Captain, as well as your husband. Take note of that."

"Sir!"

There were a few moments of silence then before the major finally leaned back in his chair. Folding his arms across his chest, he focused on me again and said, tone much quieter and level, "You're a first-rate officer, Natalie, and an excellent company commander. But you're also still young, and taking yourself out of the fight when we're _this_ close to finally defeating the Covenant…that wasn't wise on your part." He paused. "I have no choice now but to relieve you of your duties as commanding officer of Bravo Company, and restrict you from all further combat situations. Your executive officer, First Lieutenant Dean Lewis, will temporarily take over for Bravo until you have your child, at which point you may resume your command. Is that understood, Captain?"

I'd already known this was coming, so I simply replied, "Yes, sir."

Phillips nodded before sitting up once more. "The battalion is going to miss having you out in the field to lead Bravo, Cooper. Reliable officers are hard to come by these days---and those of your caliber are especially rare." After a moment of thoughtful reflection, his expression abruptly returned to his hardened look from before. "I hope I've made myself clear today, Captain, about all of this. Now get the hell out of my office."


	18. Chapter 17: Harsh Realities and Truths

**Chapter Seventeen: Harsh Realities and Truths  
**

After concluding the very unpleasant conversation with my battalion commander, I went back to my quarters to find Willis putting on his flight uniform. He had a serious but thoughtful expression on his face when he noticed me come in.

My husband's demeanor changed quickly, though, brightening as he sat on the edge of the bunk to pull on his T-shirt before zipping up the rest of his flight suit over it. "Hey, Coop. How'd it go?"

I snorted and folded my arms across my chest. "Probably the way you imagined it would. I've now been officially relieved of command of Bravo Company, at least as far as all field operations go. It's Dean's job now, so I just get to be a lovely figurehead and push Bravo's papers for the next several months instead." Shaking my head, I added, "And Phillips isn't so gung-ho about the whole kid thing. I'm surprised he even let us bunk together this time, seeing how upset he was at losing a company commander to this."

Willis looked up from lacing his boots and grinned at me. "Guess he figured since you're already pregnant, there isn't much else you could get into trouble for with me around."

Smirking, I wordlessly stepped up to where Willis was sitting and shoved him hard in the chest for his comment. My husband fell backward against the bed and laughed.

"If you wanted more…alone time with me, Cooper, you could've just said so." His smirk widened. "Not that I object to being handled roughly, of course."

"Ass," I said with a grin. "I have actual work to do, you know. And that doesn't involve getting you off every few minutes." I sobered after a moment as Willis finally sat up. Continuing to stand, I quirked an eyebrow at him and asked, "So what happened while I was gone? You looked upset when I came in."

The somber expression from before briefly flashed across his features, but he quickly masked it again. "Nothing happened, really. I was just getting dressed." He glanced up at me and gave me a rueful look. "You know I have to get my bird ready to leave within the next couple hours."

"Yeah, I know," I acknowledged quietly. Trying to ignore the awful feeling that left in my chest, I gave him a sterner look. "But Willis, come on. Tell me what it is."

He hesitated for a moment, then decided to humor me and sighed. "Natalie, what do you know about the Flood?"

I frowned. Talking about horrifying freak creatures wasn't exactly how I wanted to spend the last several minutes of time I had left with my husband. But I was still curious to know what was eating at him.

"What do I know about the Flood?" I repeated. I thought about it for a second before giving him a shrug. "I don't know, Will. Not much, I guess. Besides what we learned when we fought them in Lienz, which you already know all about, there's not anything new that I can think of. Bravo and I haven't run into them since." _Thank God_ was left unspoken. "Why?"

"My CO wants me to help figure out how they showed up here, on Earth. And how we can get rid of them before they become an even bigger threat." He suddenly frowned, as I had, then sharply met my gaze. "You sure you haven't learned anything since, Cooper? Anything 'Kuatee might've said or something?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, honey. I really just don't know. You can probably talk to him about it, though, if you want."

Seeing that Willis still had that look of defeat on his face, I walked over to the bunk and sat down beside him. I ran a soothing hand over his short hair, still slightly wet from the shower he'd taken during my meeting with Phillips, and asked quietly, "Will? Did you find something already?"

He slowly nodded, keeping in time with the motion of my hand. "Yeah, Coop. Before Major Collins gave me these couple days of leave, I found a crashed Covenant ship, half-covered in snow and all iced over. It looked like it'd been there for some time already." Willis took in a deep breath before going on. "There was also…some kind of weird growth all over it. Brandon said it looked diseased, and I agreed with him. We confirmed it when we went on a follow-up recon mission, too. The place was crawling with Flood."

"Will, you don't think…?"

"That the parasite managed to take over a Covenant ship out in space and then flew it here for some fresh chow?" He shrugged. "Sounds crazy, but there's nothing I wouldn't put past those monstrous things. They're a lot smarter than anyone thinks."

_Holy shit_, I thought.

I wanted so badly to believe that the Flood weren't that clever, that they'd only happened to stumble upon the ship after it had already been grounded. But what Willis was saying sounded plausible, especially after what we'd seen some of the Flood Helljumpers do when we'd spent weeks fighting them in Austria.

If what my husband was implying _was_ true, then the human race was in even more dire straits than I thought. If the Flood could both easily propagate through the Covenant and human populations _and_ land invading ships dirtside, as the Covies had, then we were all well and truly fucked.

Noticing my sudden sense of dread, Willis grasped my hand, which had since stopped moving across his light brown hair, and squeezed it. He waited for me to turn and look at him before offering me a small half-smile. "See, Coop? This is why I didn't want to tell you. You have enough things to worry about right now, without this on your plate, too." Putting his hand on my stomach, he added, "And besides, the stress isn't good for the baby, honey."

I placed my hand over his, fighting the urge to bury my face in my hands instead. I wasn't sure if it was the hormones making my reaction more intense than it should be or what, but this was definitely a huge problem unto itself. "Jesus, Will. If humanity keeps getting the short end of the stick like this on everything, we won't be around much longer to have to worry about our kid. Or _kids_, to include Gabriel, too."

"We can't afford to think like that, Natalie. Not yet. There's still a lot we don't understand, and until we do, we can't spend the time making assumptions. We just need to keep up our defense and hope for the best." He looked me in the eyes. "And don't worry, Cooper. Any way this ends up going, I won't let anything happen to you, or to our baby, or to our son. I don't care how far away I am. If worse comes to worst, I'll find a way to come be there for all of you, ok?"

I knew Willis was just trying to make me feel better, that the chances of him actually being able to do what he promised were slim. If the Covenant or the Flood truly wanted us eradicated and they somehow managed to gain the upper hand in the battle, the human race was over. Done deal, nothing anyone could do about it. But still, I found his words comforting. I knew I couldn't help protect Gabe myself, even though I fiercely wanted to, but I could at least do everything in my power to protect my other, unborn child.

So, despite my reservations, I nodded and replied, "Yeah, Will. Ok."

He finally stood, fully suited up in his flight uniform now if not his gear, and gave me a sad grin. It was time for him to leave. "Take care of yourself, Natalie, all right? No crazy stunts, no deviating from any sort of nutritional plan you've got going. And don't let Phillips get you down. Just focus on our kid, honey."

It took a lot of effort on my part to manage another nod without letting my emotions get the best of me. That was the only thing I hated about getting to see Willis unexpectedly: I'd always have to say good-bye to him in the end, and in a short amount of time.

"I'm really going to miss you, Will," I said, barely able to keep a handle on my voice. "It's…harder to be without you when I've got this going on." It had been true with Gabriel, and it was true this time around, as well.

Willis took in a breath as he stepped closer to wrap his arms around me. I didn't hesitate to hug him back.

"Believe me, Coop. It's hard for me, too," my husband said, holding me tight. "I'm not just leaving you behind, but my kid." He kissed the side of my head. "I'm going to miss both of you a lot, just like I miss Gabe."

"Yeah, me, too." As I rested my chin on his shoulder, I said quietly, "It's up to you now to help end the war, Willis. I can't fight anymore. And the faster we do this, the faster we can all be together again." It took all the courage I could muster to offer him a small smirk. "So be sure to kick some Covenant ass for me."

Much to my relief, my husband grinned back. "Will do, Cooper." Glancing down at his watch, he sighed. "But I should go now. I already told the techs in the hangar to begin some preflight procedures. It'll take some time to get the bird prepped and make sure everything's squared away."

We kissed each other more than once, trying to stretch out our remaining few minutes as much as we could. Then, Willis bent down to plant a small kiss on my stomach before bringing his lips to mine one last time.

"I love you," he said, hugging me tight.

Burying my face in his chest, I replied with a muffled, "I love you, too."

I didn't want to let him go, but I did. I did it because I had to, and I did it so that hopefully, his actions would help secure a future both for us and for our children.

But through all of it, I tried my best not to think about the wildcard in this war that was the Flood. Perhaps more than the Covenant now, they would probably end up being the determining factor in humanity's ultimate fate.

And if Willis was right about their capabilities, then we were all still in for quite a long battle.


	19. Chapter 18: Murphy's Law

**Chapter Eighteen: Murphy's Law**

**0632 Hours, January 15, 2553. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador. "The Flip Side of Luck," Planet Earth. Day One of the Fate of Humanity**

A week after Willis left, I woke up early from a dream. I was drenched in a cold sweat, breathing hard, and even the sheets of my bunk were damp, but it still took me a second to remember what it was about. And as soon as I did, I wished I hadn't.

That night, I'd dreamed that I was crying blood instead of tears over my husband's corpse. It had looked exactly the way I'd remembered seeing Willis after the battle in the forest in Austria, after the Covenant Wraith tank had completely obliterated Bravo Company's rear guard. His light brown hair had been matted with dark red fluid, his armor blackened from numerous blasts, his body smeared all over with blood…and, worst of all, his face had been pale and his eyes closed.

I didn't think I'd ever be able to get that memory, that _image_, out of my head---or how I'd felt when I'd seen it. So I suppose it wasn't all that surprising that my subconscious continued to use that horrible picture and twist it, contort it in an even more awful manner, nearly every other night.

Luckily, Willis hadn't noticed while he'd slept with me for the night he'd been here, otherwise he would've probably tried to talk to me yet again about the effects of post-traumatic stress. Though I wouldn't have admitted it back then, I'd probably experienced some mild form of it after the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV, when I'd come home from spending forty harrowing days fighting for survival in Cote D'Azur. I'd had nightmares then, too---only to have the dreams from that battle replaced by those from Lienz later on, mostly centering around Willis's near-death and the Flood.

Or, on especially rough nights, a disturbing combination of both. You didn't forget having to face a terrifying enemy like the Flood. And you didn't forget seeing what you thought was your husband's dead body in front of you.

Inhaling a deep breath as I stared motionless at the ceiling of my quarters, I tried my best to shove the dream---and all the thoughts, memories, and emotions that came with it---out of my mind. I knew it wasn't good for my baby if I dwelled on it, and it definitely wasn't good for my psyche, either.

Besides, I quickly reminded myself, today was going to be a good day. I was going in to see Commander Osgood for my second sonogram.

With the cold sweat from the awful dream finally gone, I allowed myself a small smile in the dark. Today was the day I was going to get another glimpse of the new baby, however tiny and alien it looked at only ten weeks in the womb. Willis and I had both wanted this child for months…and in a few hours, I'd finally get a chance to see him or her again.

I didn't make any changes to my morning routine of showering, dressing, and preparing the day's activities for Bravo Company. I didn't eat or drink anything out of the ordinary, didn't engage in anything I wasn't supposed to during training and PT, didn't exert myself in any way that might've been harmful to my unborn child. So I didn't even think twice about any of it as I walked to the medical bay later that morning. I'd mostly forgotten about the ominous nightmare by then.

"Well, if it isn't the fraternizer herself," I heard a voice say behind me once I reached the base hospital. "Or so Major Phillips likes to call you nowadays."

Grinning before I even turned around, I said, "You know, Oliver, up until the time you opened your mouth, I was actually happy you were a fully functional person again."

My best friend shrugged, wearing a smirk himself. Ever since his wife had returned to orbit on her Naval destroyer a few weeks ago, those had been rare. "Heard you got a little too frisky with your flyboy, Cooper."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." Folding my arms across my chest, I snorted after a moment and added, "I figured Dean would probably tell you once he knew."

"Yep, you know Lewis: always good for transmitting the unit's weekly scuttlebutt." Captain Hayden flashed a genuine smile for once. "Congrats on the pregnancy, Natalie."

"Thanks," I replied, smiling back.

"So you're here for a check-up, I take it?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah."

"Me, too. Doctor says I've nearly made a full recovery, but I sometimes still get those headaches, so he wants to make sure." The captain shook his head, his expression souring. "I wonder how long we'll have to wait before they finally let us in."

We sat down in the waiting room, just inside the main part of the medical wing. I propped up both of my elbows on the back of the bench we were sitting on and sighed.

"I'm not in much of a rush, really. There's not a whole lot I can do anymore, anyway; most of my work's gone to Dean now." I glanced down at my abdomen with a grin. "I'm just excited to see the kid again."

Captain Hayden smiled a second time. "Well, good luck, Cooper. Let me know how everything goes."

"For sure, buddy."

* * *

I spent most of the time after my doctor's visit resting in my quarters; although Commander Osgood had given both my baby and I a clean bill of health, I was starting to get a little tired by the afternoon. Like always I'd ended up puking earlier today, as the morning sickness still wasn't completely gone yet, but it was getting better with time and with rest.

Eventually, though, I'd managed to nearly bore myself to death, and I didn't feel like sitting back and doing nothing for the remainder of the evening. I didn't want to use up yet another several hours simply staring at the walls of my quarters, so I finally got up off my bunk and headed for the armory.

Already dressed in a pair of light jungle fatigues, combat boots, and a dark green T-shirt, I strapped on my web belt with canteen and pistol as I walked down the hall. Bravo Company was going out on yet another combat patrol tonight, and I'd be damned if I got left behind on base doing nothing. At least I could go take out some of my frustrations at the firing range, and go through some simulated battle scenarios at the AI lab nearby.

Once I reached the armory, I grabbed an MA5C assault rifle and quickly filled up the empty pouches on my web belt with extra clips of ammo---both for the rifle and for my sidearm---and hooked on three frag grenades. After that, I shoved one of my combat knives into my hip sheath, and the other above my left boot. Now all I needed was armor and a helmet.

I was still busy prepping for tonight's AI-led war game when my XO stepped into the room. I looked up from donning my chest and leg armor long enough to watch Lewis do a double take, then resumed my work without a word. I figured he'd realize what I was doing. But apparently I was wrong.

"Cooper, what are you doing? Have you gone raging mad?" my best friend asked, standing shocked by the doorway. "I know how much you'd like to help out the company, Captain, but there is no way you can be allowed to fight when you're expecting a child."

When I said nothing and ignored him, Dean grabbed hold of my shoulder. "Natalie, are you listening to me?"

I had to work hard to keep a straight face, but in the end I didn't quite manage. I smirked at my friend instead. "Yeah, Lewis. Don't worry, I'm not trying to pull a fast one on you."

"Uh, what? So…you're not trying to go out on tonight's patrol with us?"

I chuckled. "Of course not, Dean. I'm not that dumb, or crazy. I'm just heading out to the range to pop a few targets---_paper_ ones---and then I'm hitting up the simulator for some scenarios to keep my combat skills sharp. And don't worry. I don't think computer-animated Covies are going to do anything to the kid."

Lewis slowly leaned back against the table in the center of the room and ran a hand across his red hair, grinning. Finally, he studied my features and my get-up as he shook his head. "I will never understand what goes on in that head of yours, Cooper. Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Well, I didn't exactly think you'd start scolding me like that. I know you're three years older than me, but still." I grinned back at him. "I consider you an older brother, Dean, not my dad."

"I'm terribly sorry, Cooper," Lewis said with a relieved laugh. "For a moment I thought you'd---"

His words came to an abrupt halt when a loud crash echoed through the hall outside the armory. We didn't even have time to exchange a quizzical look before the doorway suddenly exploded in a bright flash of light, and then the whole world went black.

* * *

"Cooper? Cooper! Wake up, mate, for God's sake!"

I came to a few minutes later to the sound of Lieutenant Lewis's voice. My ears were ringing like crazy, making his words harder to hear, but I could tell he was shouting. I realized after a moment that I was breathing through my mouth, too, because thick blood was oozing down my face from my nose, blocking that airway.

"Dean?" I coughed hard as I felt him dragging me through dense smoke. I couldn't see a damn thing yet. "Dean, what the hell happened? What's going on?"

"Covenant Phantom crashed into the side of the building, ma'am," Lewis said, sounding out of breath. "Then the stupid buggers decided to start throwing plasma grenades into the hall."

My friend dragged me another few feet, then propped me up against a wall in a sitting position. We'd reached a room where the smoke had dissipated a bit, but not by much. Still, I was at least able to make out my XO's outline when he crouched in front of me.

"Looks like you'll get your war game after all, Captain," he said, wiping the blood streaming down from a gash on his forehead. "Except it won't be a game. The Covenant have come to us."

Ignoring the shock of his words and the pain going through my nose at the moment, I managed to find my voice again after clearing my throat of the smoke. Holding a hand to my abdomen out of reflex, I asked, "Where's Bravo Company, Lewis? We need to get them assembled and find Major Phillips."

First Lieutenant Lewis shook his head vigorously. "Not possible, ma'am. I've already tried. All communications are down for now, at least in this part of the base."

"Then we head for the medical wing," I said, gripping the sides of the wall to get myself back on my feet. "That's the closest place that might have contact with the rest of base, and our best bet to make it to the outside and find some others."

Once I was standing, albeit unsteadily, I stole a quick glance at the doorway. Dark smoke continued to pour into the room from the hall. "We should probably get as far away from the armory as we can, anyway. It looks like it might blow soon."

Finding my weapon slung diagonally across my torso, I pulled it off fast as I grabbed a clip from my web belt. I rapidly loaded my MA5C, tried to shake off the lingering sense of vertigo, and then looked at Lewis. He was already crouched by the smoke-filled doorway, his submachine gun held at the ready. I was surprised he didn't say anything when he saw me cock my rifle, but I guess he knew as well as I did that I had to have some kind of way to defend myself.

"Waiting for your command, Captain." He gave me a slight grin, but it was marred by the blood that kept rolling down his face. "And happier for it, ma'am."

Since my own blood was still blocking up my nose, my answering grin was weak as well. "Glad to be back, Lewis." I gestured forward into the smoke with my assault rifle, trying to keep my worries about how the blast may have affected my baby out of my mind for now. "Let's move it out, Lieutenant."

Dean and I moved slowly into the smoke, trying to stay as low as possible while still maintaining an acceptable pace. With all the explosives, ammo, and weapons stored in the armory, if it hadn't already been cleared out by the base's Marines for use against the Covenant, that single room could easily cause a third of the base to crumble should the place go up.

"Ma'am?" Lewis inquired, pausing in his question to let out a barking cough. "If I may ask, what route are you taking?"

"Why? Are some of the other halls blocked?"

"I don't know, Captain, but it is something to consider. With all this smoke, we may pass out again before we even get there."

I sighed, using my free arm to shield my eyes from the stinging fumes. My XO was right. "All right, I know an alternate way up here. It'll take longer, but it's better than getting stuck in this chimney in case the Covies show up."

We continued down the same corridor for a few more feet before I ducked through a side door, my best friend following on my heels. The new route I'd planned in my head was the one that passed right by my office. Once there, it was a straight shot around a corner to the medical bay.

Not that anything was ever that simple in real life, of course.

Before I'd even had a chance to take in a breath in the smoky haze, plasma and needler fire suddenly erupted from up ahead. While he staggered into the hall himself, Lewis went wide-eyed as I grabbed him roughly by the arm and shoved him back behind the doorframe so he wouldn't get hit. Then, realizing that I'd inadvertently left myself in the line of fire instead, I quickly went prone amid his protests, lined up a shot, and pulled the trigger.

There wasn't much to see, considering the oxygen-deficient environment. But the one thing I knew I could count on was if I couldn't see the Covies through the smoke, then they couldn't see me, either. I kept firing off short bursts from my MA5C down the hall, hoping that even if I didn't hit anything, I might make the aliens think twice about advancing.

Wrong.

I heard quite a few Grunts squeal in fright some yards ahead, but the hail of Covenant fire continued. Needles bounced off the hard floors of the corridor, ricocheted off the walls and ceiling, and shattered the glass of the nearby windows. I kept my head down through it all, and returned fire with my assault rifle whenever I could. By the time I chanced a look behind me to see how Lieutenant Lewis was faring, I saw that the doorframe he'd been using as cover was now completely charred and splintered.

"Lewis!" I shouted above the din. "Are you ok?"

Watching out of the corner of my eye, I saw him peek his head around the smoldering doorframe. "Still here, ma'am!" he announced. "But you _need_ to get out of---!"

The lieutenant ducked back fast when the volume of fire coming our way increased. Even lying as low as I was, face practically plastered to the ground, I could feel the places where my uniform had been grazed by needler rounds or singed by plasma bolts that had come too close. My bare arms were worse; since I was only wearing a T-shirt and no battledress jacket over it, I hadn't put on any armor there. They felt lightly scored from all the close calls, as if they'd been sunburned, and I could tell I'd been nicked in more than one place. It was time to end this skirmish now, one way or the other.

Ripping a frag grenade from my web belt, I fired one last burst from my rifle, heard it expel the characteristic _click_ noise once it was spent, and then primed the explosive.

"Dean, you'd better fucking duck, right now!"

"Captain? What are you---?"

I risked rising to a crouch to toss the frag, then dove behind the wrecked door where Lewis was; I'd hoped that my final spray of MA5C rounds would provide me with cover as I maneuvered, and luckily, I'd been right. When I started choking on the smoke again, though, which was thicker in this hall, I wasn't sure how much more fortunate I'd become by switching positions.

It didn't last long. A second or two later the grenade detonated, making the floor beneath Dean and I vibrate and forcing even more debris into the hall we'd backtracked to. Rather than sit there and suffocate, I brought my reloaded weapon to bear again and inched over to where the Covies were.

Or, as it turned out, to where the Covies _had_ been.

Now that Lewis and I walked up cautiously to the enemy corpses, we saw that the group that had been harassing us---four Grunts and two Jackals---was now mostly blue blood and guts splattered onto the walls.

"See, what'd I tell you?" I said to Lewis, lowering my rifle as I stared at the carnage. "Metamorphosis by frag grenade. Never lets you down."

I stepped over the bodies without another thought, wiping the blood still trickling from my broken, clogged up nose with the back of my hand as I did so. After seeing the same thing so many times in my years of combat experience, and knowing I had my unborn child to keep safe, I marched through the awful scene unfazed.

Lieutenant Lewis, however, apparently wasn't. When I realized after a few steps that he wasn't behind me anymore, I stopped and turned to look at him. "You coming, El-Tee?"

"Cooper," Lewis began, giving me a curious glance, "are you sure you're all right?"

I swallowed hard, the anxiety over the Covies attacking base while I was pregnant---and thus forcing me into a fight I wasn't ready for or capable of fighting right now---surfacing as emotion took over my voice. "What do you think, Dean? There's no way in hell I'd want to fight right now. But I have to protect my kid."

We both remained standing there for a moment, Lewis continuing to stare, and me maintaining a rigid posture as I tried to reign in my emotions. If I were to make it through this fight and save my kid, I knew I had to cut myself off from my feelings and become a leader again. It was hard when the stakes were this high, but I did it. I knew I had to, for my unborn child's sake.

"Come on, Lieutenant," I said in an even tone. "There's more Covenant where those came from."


	20. Chapter 19: Dark Days Ahead

**Chapter Nineteen: Dark Days Ahead**

First Lieutenant Lewis and I continued down the hall as quickly as we could, especially now that much of the smoke still pouring from outside the armory was behind us. However, with the knowledge that the Covenant had managed to infiltrate the base at least on our level, we kept a cautious eye on our surroundings while we half-walked, half-ran in the direction of the base hospital.

"Where to now, Captain?" Lewis asked once we came to the next corner. He'd reached it first and was pressing his side against the wall for cover, holding his submachine gun with the barrel pointed towards the ceiling.

"You're going the way we're supposed to, Dean. To the right," I answered. "Just one more hall to go."

"Yes, ma'am."

The lieutenant craned his neck ever so slowly around the corner for a peek, but instantly ducked back beside me when bullets ripped through the corridor. I tightened my grip on my rifle out of reflex and dropped to the ground with him.

"Bullets?" I asked, shouting over the sound of gunfire. Judging by the volume, there were at least two SMGs targeting us. "Did we get hit by the Flood, too?"

"I don't know, ma'am!" my XO yelled back. "I only regained consciousness a few minutes before you!"

_Shit. _

The sudden fear that constricted my throat was able to block my airway with even more ease than the thick smoke from earlier. Since the base was already clearly under attack by the Covenant, I wasn't so sure we could handle fighting the parasite as well.

But it didn't much matter what we _could_ handle. The fact was that we had to.

_Like my kid, _I thought to myself in anguish. _I can't fight while I'm pregnant with my baby. But I have to until I can get medevaced out of here. _And that needed to happen fast, because the last thing I wanted to do was go into combat with my kid. For now, however, I didn't have much of a choice if I wanted either of us to live.

Trying to ignore the sharp pain in my chest, left there by the intense fear that something would happen to my child, I took in a deep breath through my mouth and refocused my thoughts. I had to figure out how to get Dean and myself out of this predicament, and fast.

"Fire a blind burst back, Lieutenant, without exposing yourself," I ordered. "If it's the Flood, they'll keep coming anyway, and you might actually tag one of 'em. If not, then we can probably try to maneuver."

I saw the sweat rolling down my best friend's face as he nodded at me. "Right away, Captain."

A third submachine gun joined the chorus of others when Lewis opened up on the unidentified enemy. It took several seconds, but the guns in the hall abruptly went silent.

"Cease fire, Lewis! Cease fire!" I said. "Let's see what they'll do."

Both halls were quiet for a whole minute, each party waiting to see what would emerge. Though already exhausted from our brief skirmishes, Lewis and I hardly even breathed for most of that time; we just pressed our backs against the wall and held our weapons tight, wondering if this was some elaborate Flood ploy. After what Willis had told me about the downed Covenant ship when he'd visited, I wasn't putting anything past the parasite's abilities now.

Then, finally, there came a cautious, "Flash!"

A grin formed on my face when I heard the word whispered loud across the corridor. I recognized the voice but, more importantly, I recognized the code that indicated they were friendlies.

"Thunder!" I called back. "It's Captain Cooper, Sergeant. Lower your weapons, and step out so I can see you."

Lieutenant Lewis moved a little so I could look, but he positioned himself in such a way that he could still defend me if he had to. He kept his SMG aimed down the hall until Sergeant Trevor Dandh and my aide, Corporal Joshua Porter, came forward.

"Sir? That really you?" Dandh asked.

"Yes, it is, Sergeant," Lewis replied, lowering his gun. "Would you mind explaining why you fired on two superior officers?"

"Christ, I'm sorry, sir. I thought you were the Flood." Dandh gave Lieutenant Lewis an unsteady grin. "Hell, am I glad to see it ain't, El-Tee."

Dean grinned back, looking as relieved as I felt. "Likewise, Sergeant."

Finally emerging from cover myself, I held my assault rifle across my stomach and said, "All right, we need to start getting organized. Dandh, I want a sitrep, right now."

The noncom I'd known since the desert campaign on Heath blinked at me. At first I thought it was because of all the drying blood that still clogged my nose, since some of it had spilled down my face and neck and probably didn't look so great. But then I realized it was just the sight of me in combat gear again.

I didn't really feel like explaining anything at the moment, as we didn't really have the time, so I turned to my aide instead---although he looked equally shocked. "Porter? Want to help out Sarge?"

"Uh…y-yes, ma'am." He swallowed hard but composed himself quickly. "Covies came in about a half-hour ago and attacked us, Captain. It started out with a crash first---I think it might've been a Phantom, ma'am---but the alien bastards inside bugged out before the thing hit. Turns out that was just a way to start off their offensive against the base, to keep us confused in the beginning so we couldn't rally as fast."

"And then we started shooting at each other in confusion," I remarked. "Well, that ends now, Marines." Looking to my executive officer, I said, "Dean, since it's not just us two anymore, I want you to take Dandh and go see if you can find a faster route to a COM line. Once you do, I need you to gather Bravo as quick as you can. I'll continue on my way with Porter in the meantime, then we'll all rendezvous outside. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Then get moving, Lieutenant."

Without another word, I turned back to Corporal Porter while Lewis and Dandh started to go back the way my XO and I had come---they were going to take an alternate route away from the armory and return to the heart of the base. I motioned for my young aide to take point as we kept on the original path.

"Ma'am? What do you think we'll find up here, exactly?" Porter asked, holding his SMG at the ready. "The sarge and I got boxed in by some Covies before you showed up, Captain, and we had to take cover in your office. There wasn't anywhere else to go."

No matter how hard I tried to keep the thought out of my head, my mind still continued to return to my unborn kid. I swallowed hard, though some emotion made it through to my voice nonetheless. "I've spent a lot of the last few weeks going in and out of the hospital, Corporal. There's a backdoor exit in one of the exam rooms, and plenty of COM lines to alert doctors to the needs of the patients. We'll find a way to get into contact with Bravo and Major Phillips there, or, if none of the COMs are functional, we'll go outside and see what's really going on."

The corporal glanced back at me for a moment at the tone of my voice. I knew I had to keep myself in check better, but it was hard when you knew your child's life was in danger---and that there was nothing you could do about it.

"Got it, Captain," he replied solemnly.

We spent the next few feet going down the hall in silence, waiting for the Covenant to pop out again at every doorway we passed. When we finally reached my office, I ordered Porter to halt.

"Ma'am?"

"Wait one, Corporal. There's something in here that I've got to get. Guard the door for a sec."

"Yes, ma'am."

Since there wasn't much time, I ran through the door with my rifle raised; even if Dandh and Porter had just been in here, that didn't mean some new occupants hadn't already arrived. Thankfully, though, the place was clear. I quickly rushed up to my desk, broke the picture frame with my family's photo on it, and pulled the image free of the fragmented glass and wood. I couldn't go out to fight the Covenant without Willis and Gabe, especially now that our second baby was going to be inevitably placed in a risky situation.

"Done," I said once I stepped back out. Gesturing with my MA5C as I slipped the picture into my cargo pocket, I started to add, "All right. Just a few more doors down, Porter, and then we'll make it to the---"

Another huge explosion rocked the very foundations of the building. Corporal Porter and I were both knocked off our feet in an instant, the ground beneath us shaking with such force that I thought a hole would soon tear right through it and swallow us up. There was the sound of more windows shattering, the sharp screeching of metal, and---worst of all---the piercing screams of people, all coming from just down the corridor.

_Holy shit, _I thought as I lay on the floor with my eyes shut hard. A burst of intense fear and panic that I hadn't felt since my time in the Flood-infested Covie camp jolted through me, momentarily leaving me paralyzed. _What the fuck is happening to this place?!_

I used my years of military training, combat experience, and drilled-in discipline to get myself together again fast. Picking up my discarded rifle, which had been tossed several feet away because of the large detonation that had occurred nearby, I ran over to where Corporal Porter still lay and shook him out of his own fear-induced freeze-up.

"Josh! Get up, Corporal, right now! We've gotta get to the medical wing!"

With alert panic etched into the junior noncom's features, he stood in an instant when I hauled him up by his torso armor. He blinked a couple of times while I handed him his weapon, then finally focused his blue eyes on me again.

"Y-yes, ma'am. I'm…I'm good to go, Captain."

He started to ask what had caused such an enormous explosion, but I was already sprinting for the base hospital. The time to be cautious had sure as hell passed by now, and I needed to figure out why the world was suddenly coming apart around us.

But then, all of a sudden, I stopped dead in my tracks when I rounded the corner and let out a gasp.

Where there had once been an extensive medical bay attached to the base, there was now only crumbling concrete, ravaged equipment, and a deep, yawning crater with smoldering body parts strewn all around. The vaporized air surrounding the area was suddenly still despite the big commotion just moments ago, and all that could be heard now were the loud moans of the dying and the wounded in the field below.

It took my overwhelmed and astonished brain several seconds to get a full grasp on what had occurred.

The whole hospital had been blown apart, shredded by an as-of-yet unseen force straight down the middle, and was now open to the elements. In one titanic blast, the Covies had managed to take out the largest add-on to the entire base, and kill at least eight hundred UNSC troops.

I was still in such a state of numbed shock that I barely even registered Corporal Porter coming up behind me. I didn't hear him say a single word, but I did hear his sharp intake of breath when he saw why I'd suddenly come to a halt…and what I was staring at so intently.

That's when I truly realized it, when I truly embraced and accepted the idea for the first time in my twenty-five years of life: the world as we knew it really _was_ coming to an end. Our very _species_ was coming to an end.

The human race wasn't going to pull out of this one, no way, no how. Because if this was what the aliens were capable of doing when push came to shove, and the Flood, by their very nature, were bound to do much, much worse, then there was just nothing left of this magnitude for humanity to fight them with.

In all my years of combating the Covenant, I'd never seen anything quite as devastating as this.


	21. Chapter 20: The Beginning of the End

**Chapter Twenty: The Beginning of the End**

Corporal Joshua Porter and I made our way carefully down the rubble, trying to get to the ground level so that we could figure out what to do from there. Because the base hospital was nothing but a huge mound of miscellaneous debris ringed around a crater now, there was no way we were going to find a working COM anywhere, and Plan B was to get outside to eventually rendezvous with Lewis. Seeing as the medical wing had been utterly gutted, we no longer had to look for a route out of the base, either. We used the broken parts of the building to slide down instead.

I wasn't sure if it was the smell or the agonized sounds of burned and bloodied UNSC military personnel that did it, but my eyes began to water the instant Porter and I started our morbid trek. As I held onto loose chunks of concrete and twisted metal to keep from slipping down the mountain of wreckage, I noticed a fine white-gray ash coming up from beneath my combat boots, choking up my lungs just as the smoke had earlier. I nearly gagged when I realized that it wasn't just pulverized plaster and concrete from the structure, but cremated bodies.

Whatever the Covenant had used to level this place, it had certainly taken an unimaginable toll in human lives.

"C-Captain?" I heard my aide anxiously stutter behind me. He hadn't said a word since he'd first seen what had become of the medical wing, and now that we were slowly maneuvering among the dead and dying, the poor kid seemed to be in even worse shape. He wasn't a stranger to the horrors of war, but likely he'd never seen anything quite like this before.

_I'd _never seen anything like this before.

My throat was so dry from the dust and the smoke that I had to cough loud and hard before answering. "Not now, Corporal. Just keep going, and try to focus on where you put your feet. It's a long way to fall." _That way, you won't focus on the corpses all around us, _I added to myself.

Holding onto my assault rifle tight in one hand, I used the other to continue to ease myself down the smoking heap. All through the hike, a steady stream of moisture dropped from my eyes, my nose still clogged up with now-dried blood, my throat raw from the fumes, and my skin slowly burning up from the heat of the late evening sun.

But I didn't register any of it when I suddenly slipped on a large pool of dark red blood.

One of the corpses just in front of me had had its entrails sprawled out on a shiny piece of steel, and my boots lost traction in an instant. I fell face-first into the powdery white-gray ash, felt the anonymous Marine body beneath me shift, and I started to tumble right down the rest of the way to the ground.

I grunted harshly as the back of my torso armor _clang_ed into another piece of jagged metal on my way down, and I shut my eyes tight as I braced myself for the many more impacts I knew were coming. My heart started pumping faster as I gained momentum, and I realized that if I ended up rolling all the way to the dirt level, I was either going to be bloody and unconscious, or bloody and dead.

And that either way, that meant my unborn child would be dead, too.

Thankfully, something stopped me before that could happen.

He caught me by my midsection as I came tumbling past, forcibly halting my momentum in a precise motion so that the impact was relatively soft. He knew as well as I did that if my body got jarred too violently, I'd lose the baby, so he kept his stance low and his weight on his haunches so that he absorbed the shock instead of me.

Still, I was so astonished by the abrupt maneuver that I kept my eyes closed for several seconds after the collision.

"Captain? Captain! Are you ok, ma'am?"

When I'd finally convince myself that I'd truly stopped, I took in a deep breath and opened my eyes. They were still watery from all the dust, but I could make out the figure crouched in front of me even before I wiped the tears away. It was Doc Reynolds.

His blue eyes were full of panic as he noticed that I was still slightly disoriented from both the tumble and the hit, and he kept his arms firmly around my waist so that I wouldn't fall any further. Since I hadn't answered him the first time, he tried again, using my last name now.

"Captain Cooper?"

That was what eventually brought me back.

"Yeah, Doc," I rasped, my voice sounding more hoarse than ever. "I'm ok. Thanks---" I paused, wincing for a second against the dull pain in my side. "Thanks for the save, Reynolds. I would've been reduced to a bloody pulp pretty quick if it weren't for you."

The medic chuckled humorlessly. "That's what I'm here for, Captain. Let's get you up, huh?"

I shook my head fiercely, keeping my arms wrapped tight around my abdomen as I choked out, "My baby, Doc. What about my kid?"

"Don't worry. I think I caught you in time, ma'am. We'll get you checked out as soon as possible, though, all right? But for now you should get up, Captain. It's not safe to stay here."

Reluctantly, I nodded in agreement.

Petty Officer Reynolds half-stood then, fighting with the rubble to get traction on his own boots. Once he'd managed to get his feet firmly planted among the wreckage, he slung his battle rifle across his back and helped me to stand again.

It was then that I saw the blood dripping steadily onto the light-colored ash, but for once it wasn't mine. It was Reynolds's.

"Doc, you sure _you're_ ok?" I asked, staring not at the devastation all around us, but at the large gash on his right arm. His whole bicep looked torn up, and his uniform was bloodied and tattered around the wound. Still, he tried to cover it up as soon as he realized I'd noticed.

He gave me a shaky grin. "You're not supposed to be worried about my wounds, Captain. That's my job. It hurts like a bitch, but I'll be fine."

I cringed inwardly for a moment, knowing how much it must have hurt him to stop me with his arm in such bad shape. I wondered how he'd managed that without even so much as crying out in pain when I'd slammed into him.

But there wasn't time for any of that right now. I was forced back into the present surroundings when I heard Corporal Porter slide down to my side.

"Ma'am? Are you all right?" the young noncom asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah, Corporal. I'm good to go, thanks to the medic, but we've got to get moving." Picking up my ash-covered rifle from the debris, I shook it out and added, "We need to get on the ground now, before whoever or whatever blew the hell out of the hospital decides to come back. And we need to rendezvous with Lieutenant Lewis and the rest of Bravo, ASAP."

"Yes, ma'am."

Making our way down the rest of the trashed mound was easier than when we'd been at the top. Although there was a significant increase in the amount of bodies as we got closer and closer to the bottom, the steep incline of wreckage gradually leveled off once we were near the ground. Everything had accumulated and rolled down from the top, so the dangers of slipping and falling weren't as great.

The downside, of course, was that Porter, Reynolds, and I now had to carefully step our way through the victims---and not all of them were dead yet.

Since there was nothing we could do for these people, as Reynolds had noted to Porter and I that they were already too far gone for treatment, we had to simply block out their sufferings as best we could. We still had a job to do, and maybe, if we managed to do it right, we could avenge their deaths that way.

I didn't know how, but I was able to snap out of the daze the horrible scene had produced we finally reached solid ground again. It was something I had to do, to keep from being overwhelmed by the complete horrors of the past several minutes.

"All right, at least we've hit dirt now," I said, bending over for a moment to catch my breath. The trek down had been arduous, and I still couldn't get oxygen through my broken nose yet. I could only hope that my poor kid was doing ok after all the rough handling. "We've still got to find Lewis and Bravo, though, so we're going to make a quick circuit around base. Understood?"

Doc Reynolds and Corporal Porter both nodded at the same time. "Yes, Captain."

"Good. Then keep your eyes and ears sharp, be ready for the Covenant, and let's get moving," I ordered. "Josh'll take point."

* * *

While we made our way through the cratered and pockmarked ground, I turned back to Petty Officer Reynolds, who was marching along behind me, and looked at him. "Doc?"

He was keeping a tight grip on his weapon with one hand, and an equally fierce clamp on his wounded arm with the other. The medic didn't let his discomfort come out in his voice, though his expression did look strained---and he was sweating. "Yes, ma'am?"

I swallowed hard and asked, "Were you in the medical wing, Reynolds? When it was taken out?"

"That's affirmative, Captain," the medic replied, visibly wincing. "I got stuck in all that shit, ma'am, same as everybody else, and I have no idea how I managed to get out with just a broken arm."

"Broken arm?" I repeated incredulously. "Jesus, Doc. Your arm's broken and you don't tell me?"

"I was kind of busy trying to save you from taking a really nasty fall, Captain. As bad as that tumble you took was, it would've been a lot worse for you and for your child if you'd gone down all the way."

_God, I hope my kid's ok_, I thought to myself.

"Speaking of which, what are you even doing in battledress, ma'am? You're not allowed on patrols, and there wasn't any training scheduled for tonight. You shouldn't even be fighting right now."

That did it; I just couldn't stand him rebuking me at a time like this, so I snapped at him. "What the hell should I be doing then, Doc, huh? Lying in my bunk waiting for the Covies to come shoot me in the ass?" Realizing that this was neither the time nor the place for a confrontation, I ran a quick hand through my hair and said, "The alien bastards came a knockin', Reynolds. Unless I wanted to be dead, I didn't really have a choice."

Both Reynolds and Porter looked a little taken aback by my outburst, but I didn't stare at them long enough to see them recover. I looked up wide-eyed at the mammoth _thing_ taking out a chunk of the hangars on the other side of the base instead. That was where I was probably supposed to go, to get evacuated with the rest of the wounded. Like the medic had said, I sure as hell couldn't stay and fight.

"Holy…shit," Corporal Porter murmured. "Uh, Captain, what in the hell is that?"

"Damned if I know, Corporal," I replied, my tone quickly going from angered to astonished. "But I'm willing to bet that's what hit the base hospital, too." Turning to Reynolds again, I asked, "That true, Doc?"

Startled, Reynolds answered, "Y-yes, ma'am. I'm pretty sure that's what it was. I don't remember all that much from before I heard the blast, though."

The three of us watched in dumbstruck horror as the large, walking metal insectoid contraption ambled closer to base. The ground quaked beneath our boots with each of its thundering steps, and then it came to an abrupt halt in front of the rest of the base's airstrip.

"Oh, no," I breathed. "Fuck, Doc, it's gonna take out the---"

"Humans, get down!" a voice behind us suddenly roared.

We all hit the deck along with Atalom 'Kuatee, hugging the earth as the huge robot thing rotated its central eye…and then loosed an enormous blue-green laser burst at the remainder of the hangars. The impact was tremendous, the scream of twisting and melting metal echoing throughout the area while the laser burst continued. Chunks of debris toppled from the nearby buildings, grounded Pelicans and Longswords alike taking the most direct shots.

And just like that, with only two hits, our entire air wing was destroyed. And so was my ride out of here.

Once it was over, when the ground beneath me had finally stopped rattling my armor plates, I moved my bare arms down from my unprotected head and brought them back around my weapon. Pushing myself up off the dirt, I stood, holding my assault rifle tight against me, and glanced over at the Elite.

"You'd better tell me what the hell that…_thing_ is, alien boy. Right now. Because it just managed to destroy two-thirds of the base without so much as blinking its huge eye."

'Kuatee immediately scoffed at me as he got back to his feet as well. "I am not one of your warriors, Captain. I am not to be commanded in such a manner."

I didn't have the patience for this anymore; I had a kid to protect, and I needed to know what we were up against. I stalked right up to the ex-Covenant's chest armor and looked up at his face. "Unless you want to get vaporized by that thing, too, I suggest you stow the superiority bullshit and give me some damn answers, Atom."

But Atalom definitely wasn't having it. The Elite used a hand to grip me by the throat in an instant, and he raised me up off my feet until my eyes were level with his own.

"It is a Scarab, human," 'Kuatee informed me angrily as I struggled for air. Holding my MA5C in one hand, I used the other to grab onto the Elite's large fist, which currently blocked my body's path to oxygen, and started kicking at him reflexively. Neither did much to help my situation, however. I still felt myself turning blue.

"Hey! Let her go, Atom, come on! She's pregnant!" I heard Doc Reynolds shout just as I started getting tunnel vision. "I don't want to have to shoot you, 'Kuatee, but if you're trying to kill the captain---"

Without another word, Atalom suddenly dropped me back to the ground. I landed hard on my knees, thankful that my leg armor took the brunt of the impact, and I blinked a few times as air entered my lungs for the first time in minutes.

"Never forget your place, human," 'Kuatee said as he bent down towards me. "So often you forget that were it not for _my_ race, yours would already be extinct."

Lifting a hand up to my sore neck, I had to take in several more breaths before I was finally able to attempt to stand again.

And this was exactly why I hated being allies with the aliens.

Before I had a chance to object, the medic's arms were under my own, pulling me back to my feet. I'd wanted to make a show of getting up by myself in front of the Elite, if only to demonstrate that humans were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, but I didn't say anything.

"You ok, Captain?" Reynolds whispered when I was standing again.

I quickly nodded once. "Yeah, Doc. Thanks."

"All right."

Reynolds let go of me in an instant, then took several steps back. He continued to keep a cautious eye on the Elite, however, just in case 'Kuatee decided to grab hold of me again.

Still holding a hand to my neck, I turned back to Atom and said, "Well? So what's a…Scarab do?"

"It is not so much a weapon as it is a force, Captain. A purely destructive force." The Elite hefted his carbine and aimed in the direction of the thing, which had since moved off from the rubble of the hangars and was moving on to its next target. "It is far more effective than Wraiths or explosives. A Scarab simply tears through all, human, and is controlled by a heavy crew of at least four Jiralhanae and a half-dozen Unggoy. It is also nearly indestructible."

As Doc Reynolds and I exchanged a confused glance, it took my brain a moment to catch up with what 'Kuatee was saying.

"So…_nearly_ indestructible?" I asked. "That means there _is_ some way to kill it, right?"

"Yes. But you must destroy it from the inside out."

Corporal Porter frowned at the same time I did, but he was the first to reply.

"And how exactly do you go about doing crazy shit like that, Atom?" my aide inquired in a tone of disgust. It was the tone he always used when speaking to members of the Covenant---former or no. "That thing's friggin' huge, not to mention tall."

"You must leap in from above, Corporal," the Elite answered.

I looked back over at the titanic walking metal thing, the terrifying object that had just reduced both the medical wing and the airstrip and hangars to dust. I could hear machine guns and explosions going off in the distance---fifty cals and SPNKR rocket launchers trying to take it out from the outside.

They didn't know you had to go in.

So that's exactly what _we_ were going to do.


	22. Chapter 21: A Small Victory

**Chapter Twenty-One: A Small Victory**

The persistent rattle of heavy machine guns and the tinge of death were still overloading my senses when 'Kuatee, Corporal Porter, Doc Reynolds, and I ran into the first pocket of enemy resistance outside the base. Not a minute after the Elite had divulged the secret of how to take down the mammoth Covenant Scarab that was continuing its way around the perimeter, wreaking immense havoc as it went, the four of us spotted an inbound alien strike team of two Brute choppers and a Covenant Spectre. Because we were without the benefit of heavy weaponry ourselves, we were going to have to improvise if we were to get past the three enemy vehicles and make it to the Scarab before it was too late.

I turned to our Elite ally first. "Atom, how are we going to---"

My words were drowned out in an instant when the plasma cannons on the Spectre opened up. I immediately ducked behind the nearest cover, some kind of broken concrete slab that had come off one of the surrounding buildings, and held my rifle to my chest as boiling rounds began vaporizing the air around us.

God, did I wish I had a helmet at times like these.

"Everybody get to cover, quick!" I shouted above the steady din. "The second that thing stops firing, we take it out, so get ready!"

Trying to go up against a Spectre while its automatic guns were in use was about the dumbest move ever, and a fast way to get killed any way you went about it. But if we waited for the guns to go silent, then we might have a shot. It seemed fortune was on our side in other ways as well---the Ghost normally attached to the underbelly of the Spectre had already been deployed elsewhere, so at the very least, we didn't have to deal with a fourth Covenant vehicle on foot.

But three were plenty enough.

"Wait for it, Marines!" I cried, keeping my head down as the plasma cannons rattled on. They'd been firing for what seemed like hours now, but was probably less than two minutes in real time. It wouldn't be much longer till they went silent.

The problem was that the Spectre was getting awfully close to us in the meantime.

I held my breath in utter disbelief when I saw the two Brute Choppers finally veer off to the side and away from us, but I was hardly able to let out a sigh of relief. The Spectre still had its guns trained on the four of us, and our respective covers were starting to crumble and fall apart.

But soon enough, the plasma cannons momentarily stopped. I quickly took advantage of the situation we'd been waiting for and lifted my assault rifle over my cover.

"Now, Marines!" I cried. "Target the guns and smoke that Spectre before they can get 'em ready again! I'll provide suppressive fire from back here while you guys move it up. Now go!"

I pressed my MA5C tight against my shoulder as I pulled the trigger and rattled off a long burst of fire at the Covie vehicle. I aimed for the driver first, a huge, burly Brute, and decided to pour lead at the main plasma guns only afterward. At least if I managed to eliminate the Covie operating the Spectre, that would make the vehicle a stationary---hence, easy---target for my men.

While I continued to fire off burst after burst from afar, Corporal Joshua Porter, Petty Officer Michael Reynolds, and Atalom 'Kuatee moved closer in. Most of the Covie gunners were so focused on keeping their heads down from the amount of lead coming at them from Reynolds's and Porter's guns that they never even noticed the Elite maneuvering in on their flank.

For all the other not-so-great things 'Kuatee may have been, he was an excellent swordsman. Even as I reloaded my rifle and started firing at the driver again, Atalom came in at the Brute from the side with such speed and agility that the other alien never even saw him coming. With his plasma sword glowing blue, Atom not only drove the twin points of his blade clear through the Brute's neck in a burst of dark bluish-purple blood, but also slashed at the Spectre's controls as he drew the blade back out. Bright blue-white sparks immediately began to emanate from what passed as the vehicle's cockpit, and by then, our alien ally was already moving on to his next victim.

With the combined fire of two Marines, one Navy corpsman, and one helluva sword-gifted SpecOps Elite, it didn't take long at all to finally put the Spectre out of commission. Five Covenant bodies lay in a pool of their own blood and entrails within minutes, and their once formidable vehicle now blew out sparks and smoke from its torn-up shell.

Though the skirmish was obviously over now, I still decided to err on the side of caution and remained behind my cover to wait for my men to come back to me, rather than going out to them as I normally would have. Being pregnant tended to change your priorities a bit, as well as your combat strategy and rules of engagement.

"Enemy Spectre neutralized, Captain," Corporal Porter said with a big grin as he walked up to me. He fiddled with his weapon for a second while he slapped in a fresh clip, then cocked the submachine gun before wiping some of the gore from his chest armor. "Who's the next lucky alien son of a bitch who gets to die, ma'am?"

Even in these circumstances, I couldn't help but grin a little myself at his enthusiasm. With Marines like Porter still in the fight, maybe the human race wasn't so totally screwed after all.

"That's easy, Corporal," I said as I stood from my crouch and pointed my rifle at the dirt. "We still have to go after that Scarab."

Once Reynolds and 'Kuatee came up to my position as well, our odd little band started off again. Close by but out of our immediate path, we could see a fierce battle being fought between several dozen Marines and their alien counterparts---some Grunts, some Jackals, and mostly Brutes. Similar battles were going on almost everywhere else, too, in varying sizes and degrees of intensity. A few Drones were also flying around here and there to harass the humans, but they were in too small a number to really do much damage.

In the distance, however, the Scarab was still going about its destructive work, trashing the entire outer structure of the base of Portoviejo…and going around for more. That's what we needed to put a stop to before I could try to find a way out of the fighting, and before I could send my Marines over to help the others in the scores of minor skirmishes going on all around us.

Clearly, the higher-ups had decided that this base was too important to give up.

We'd made it further along the base when Petty Officer Reynolds suddenly came to a halt and pointed up, where the sounds of intense gunfire could be heard. At this point the Scarab was still pretty far but within weapons range, and it looked like a large group of Marines were on the metal grate catwalks that ran along the outside of the base's main buildings. Most of the catwalks had been destroyed now, since the most expansive of these had been among the Scarab's first targets, but it looked like the few that remained were being used as staging areas for the Marines' counterattack against the huge Covenant contraption. So that's where we were going to go.

"Nice job, Doc," I said to the medic as I came up to his side. "But now we need to figure out a way to get up there."

He offered me a slight grin. "Already ahead of you, ma'am. There's an exterior set of metal stairs leading up onto the main deck just on the other side of this corner. I noticed them on one of our company runs, and I remember they seemed odd to me at the time. Now I get why they're there."

I smirked, keeping the grip on my rifle tight. "Yeah, well, I was too busy barfing up my breakfast most of the time to do a lot of sightseeing. Good thing you found it." Turning back to the others, I waved them forward and said, "All right, let's keep moving. Follow the medic."

With Doc Reynolds at point now, we made our way quickly to the stairs, then ran all the way up to the catwalks four stories high.

"Ma'am?" Corporal Porter asked once we were standing on the main landing. He paused for only a moment to take in a quick breath, then continued, "Where do we go now, Captain?"

Taking a look around, I suddenly noticed the world of pure chaos we'd walked into. Machine guns ranging from small thirty cals to the larger-bored fifty caliber guns were going off all around us, the six heavy weapons placed at near-equal intervals from each other on the railings of the catwalk with two Marines each---one to reload and one to fire. In between, four Marines were doing their best to rapidly load and launch SPNKR rounds at the massive metal beast, open cases of new rockets lying beside them for faster reloads. Then, in a few of the far corners stood three snipers, trying to pick off the aliens manning the plasma cannons on the outside of the Covenant Scarab.

But for however many Covies they managed to dispatch, it seemed more were ready to come streaming out from the inside.

The Marines, all from other units since I didn't recognize any of them, were clearly doing an admirable job of attempting to take out the biggest threat to base. The only problem was, 'Kuatee had told us that you couldn't take it from the outside alone, but had to go in and blow the Scarab's interior control panels in order to bring it down for good.

So, as soon as I managed to bring some order to the messy situation out here, that was exactly what I was going to send 'Kuatee, Porter, Reynolds, and some of these other Marines to do.

"I'm not sure yet, Corporal," I said to Porter in reply to his earlier question. "For now, I want you and Reynolds to set yourselves up behind one of the vacant fifty cals and start firing. Atom, if you've still got your beam rifle, now's the time to use it."

Reynolds and Porter both gave me an uneasy, "Yes, ma'am" when they realized that the only two vacant machine guns on the catwalk hadn't been abandoned by choice; those who'd been manning them before had been killed. The four unfortunate Marines' bodies were still lying motionless by their weapons, fresh blood continuing to pour out of their wounds and pool on and through the honeycombed metal grates. 'Kuatee, on the other hand, merely grunted some sort of acknowledgement at me and got to work.

While my small team got set up, I approached the first Marine I spotted nearby who wasn't busy firing off rockets, machine gun rounds, or sniper bullets. The soldier looked a little younger than me, maybe twenty-three, and had a light five o'clock shadow, but I noted the insignia of a Marine sergeant on his battledress uniform.

"Sergeant? You want to tell me who's in charge here?" I asked, shouting to be heard over the sound of weapons fire.

At first the noncom looked startled when he heard my voice, but he composed himself quickly when he got a look at my rank insignia. "Y-yes, ma'am. Uh…I think that'd be you, Captain. These are all my boys up here, ma'am, second squad of third platoon in Golf Company, 105th Battalion." He pointed to the pair of dead bodies that lay behind Porter and Reynolds's machine gun. "That was our El-Tee, ma'am, and our captain right there. I think the rest of our company's either fried or scattered somewhere around base."

_Fuck_, I thought to myself as I ran a quick hand through my hair. _The Covies caught all of us by surprise today, but good. The bastards really hit us hard._

"All right, Sergeant. Looks like you've been doing a good job so far with what you've got. Now, I want some of your men to continue providing suppressive fire on that thing," I ordered, pointing to the Scarab which was getting steadily closer now, "but until we get some Marines on the inside, none of this is going to work." I glanced around quickly, then turned back to the sergeant.

"Pull a couple of your rocket men, one sniper, and two others off one of the thirty cals---that way we can still keep the heavy-hitting fifties going. In the meantime, I'm going to send my two men in along with our Elite buddy over here, and I'll stand in for the sniper you're pulling off the line. I want you to lead all of them inside, Sergeant, and blow that thing's systems before you bug out. Can you handle all that?"

The Marine suddenly looked stricken, but he nodded an instant later. "Yes, ma'am. Understood."

He still had that slightly sick look on his face as he turned around to obey my commands, though, so I reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"What's your name, Sergeant?"

"Uh, Ferguson, ma'am," he replied. "Luke Ferguson."

"Trust me, Ferguson, I'd be going in there myself to lead them instead of you, but I've got some…medical reasons for not tagging along. If we make it out of this today, though, I'll see that you get a commendation for your work here, Sergeant."

Sergeant Ferguson's face lit up with astonishment. "T-thank you, ma'am."

"No problem, Marine. Good luck, and semper fi."

He flashed a weak grin at me. "Oorah, Captain."

While the young noncom went about gathering his small team to jump onto the Scarab, I went over to one of the corner snipers and tapped the kid's shoulder as he reloaded his rifle. I glanced down at the blond-haired Marine's insignia and said, "Let me see your weapon, Lance Corporal, and give me two clips of ammo."

He hesitated for the slightest of seconds, but then snapped to in an instant when he saw my captain's bars. "Yes, ma'am," he answered, hurriedly handing over his gun.

I gave him my MA5C along with three clips of shredder rounds in exchange. "Ok, that should do it. Now go follow Sergeant Ferguson, Marine. You're going to be taking out that walking hell that's trying to bring down the whole damn base, and I'll provide some covering fire for all of you as you go in. Got that?"

"Understood, Captain."

"Good. Then move, Lance Corporal."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Once the lance corporal left, I hastily adjusted the sniper rifle's scope, then used it to zoom in on the approaching Scarab. It was getting awfully close now, but we'd still have to wait another minute or so for it to pass under one of the long, isolated catwalks a few meters away that ran between two of the main buildings. Without a doubt, that would be the place Sergeant Ferguson chose to launch his assault team, so that's what I focused in on as I got settled.

_And he'd better do the job well, _I thought to myself, _because it's two of my men he's taking in with him._

* * *

I was nowhere near the sharpshooter Willis was, and I knew it. I didn't share my husband's natural talent for sniping anymore than I shared his exceptional skill in the cockpit; I was pretty bad at the former, and I'd never even tried to fly a ship before. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and there was no way I'd go into any kind of fray while pregnant if I could avoid it. So, at least for now, I chose to stay back and snipe from a safe distance.

Lying prone between the railing and the edge of the metal catwalk, I watched through the high-powered S2-AM sniper rifle's scope as the Scarab finally moved into the target area. Sergeant Ferguson's ragtag team of Marines dropped in a few seconds later.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

'Kuatee was the first to react once he landed on the top of the Scarab's main level; while the Marines had had to rappel down short, thick ropes to get onto the metal Covenant abomination, he'd jumped straight in as his built-in shields took the impact of his landing. With his feet planted firmly on the floor, the Elite's plasma sword came to life and immediately struck an approaching Grunt's methane mask, slicing both the alien's breathing apparatus and its stomach at the same time.

Seeing that Atalom obviously didn't need any backup, I turned my rifle's scope toward the Marines.

They'd almost touched down when a group of Grunts and two armored Brutes came rushing out of the control center's entrance. Knowing how difficult it would be for the Marines to defend themselves while rappelling, I set my sights on the one of the Brutes first---the Covie closest to them---and lined up a shot to cover my comrades.

While Willis and I had been at the Naval Academy on Reach nearly seven years ago, just before we'd gotten engaged, our instructors had had us go through weapons training together. It was one of the few classes we'd been paired up for, since my then-boyfriend had been going through flight school, and I'd been taking courses in infantry tactics. Everything had been going well for us the whole semester…until we'd gotten to the S2-AMs.

From the moment Willis had first picked up a sniper rifle, he'd been able to fire it with a remarkable amount of precision. Me, on the other hand, I'd had to endure countless minutes of screaming every day from our higher-ups for my obvious incompetence with the weapon. Feeling bad for me at the end of a week like that, Willis had taken me out to the range on Saturday and trained me with the rifle one-on-one. I tried to remember his words now.

_"You gotta hold the rifle tighter against your shoulder, Cooper. Tight, but not too tense. Good, like that. Next, you gotta line up your shot carefully---take a good look through your scope and concentrate on the crosshairs. Oh, and you gotta remember to adjust for wind and distance, too. Then, right when you're about to fire, take in a breath, and make sure you hold it till you've taken the shot. That'll keep your aim steady and true. Got it? Ok. Now try again."_

Not only had Willis taught me to properly use the gun that day at the range, but he'd also proposed to me there after I'd finally managed to make my first headshot. Instead of handing me the next bullet I was to chamber and fire as we lay prone together in the dirt, he'd held up an engagement ring to my astonished face and grinned.

_"See? I told you it was worth getting it right, Coop."_

All of this passed through my mind in less than a second, and the gold Elite presently in my crosshairs hadn't even moved an inch when I finally pulled the trigger.

No one was more surprised than me when the Covie's helmeted head exploded in blood.

_Thanks, Will_, I thought with a grin.

The other aliens beside the dead Brute momentarily ducked out of reflex, and that was what gave the Marines their chance. Opening up with assault rifles and submachine guns, the eight-man team brought down the second Brute in a minute, then quickly moved on to the Grunts manning the plasma cannons. Meanwhile, I fired off six more shots, leaving a pile of Brute bodies by the control center's entrance while the Marines stormed in.

And a few minutes later, it was all over.

Seconds after 'Kuatee and the Marines had jumped to safety on one of the smaller catwalks below us, the hulking Covenant Scarab began to spasm and spark as its huge legs fell apart beneath it. The main level, which housed the control center, toppled over next, and the entire thing disintegrated when it suddenly burst from the inside.

I lay there for several seconds after the huge dust cloud finally settled, grinning wide as I gripped my sniper rifle. The fight for base was nowhere near over with yet, but this was certainly an excellent start to the humans' counterattack. Maybe, if we kept this up, we just might be able to push the Covies out altogether.

* * *

My feelings soon changed as I descended the metal stairs a few minutes later. Reynolds came up to me with a harsh grimace on his face, battle rifle slung behind his back as he held his broken and still-bleeding arm with the other. Corporal Porter looked the worse for wear as well, face red, dirty, and sweaty from the gutsy assault. The others were in much the same shape, with the exception of 'Kuatee.

Four of Sergeant Ferguson's men never made it out…including the sergeant himself. It was the lance corporal I'd taken the sniper rifle from that gave me the bad news.

"I'm sorry, Captain," the Marine said with a rueful expression on his face. "That space inside the control center was so tight, we just didn't see them in time…"

Cocking an eyebrow at my subordinate, I asked, "See what, Lance Corporal?"

"The invisible Brutes, ma'am. They were masked by some kind of…force field or something, and we didn't see 'em until they'd already killed Sarge and a couple other guys. One of the PFCs bought it earlier, when we were still on the outside. I'm sorry," he repeated.

"It's all right, Marine," I said quietly. "You did what you could, and the Scarab got destroyed in the end. You and your men can be proud, because you probably just saved the whole base."

"M-my men, ma'am?"

"Congratulations, kid. I'm bumping you up to corporal as of now. That was one helluva thing you boys did, and Ferguson's men are going to need a new leader." Before the stunned Marine could say anything, I held out the S2-AM. "Let me have the assault rifle, Corporal."

The young noncom's face broke into a small grin as he took his weapon back and handed me mine. "Yes, ma'am."

Porter, Reynolds, 'Kuatee, and I went our separate ways from the Marines of the 105th Battalion then, and it wasn't long before we were finally able to rendezvous with First Lieutenant Lewis and Sergeant Dandh. My XO had already gathered Bravo Company and was starting to get the men organized on the outskirts of base, well away from any of the intense fighting still going on around us.

Though bloodied and dirtied himself, my best friend grinned when he saw me. "Got them all ready for you, ma'am, and I'm glad to see you've made it back."

I snorted as I watched Reynolds and 'Kuatee make for first platoon. My aide, however, remained patiently by my side.

"You know I'm not going to stick around for the rest of the festivities, Dean," I said as I slipped my thumb beneath the strap of my MA5C, now slung on my shoulder. I unconsciously brought my other hand to my abdomen and added, "Bravo's yours now, Lewis. Take good care of them. I've gotta look out for my kid and sit this one out."

Lewis nodded in understanding. "So what will you do now, Captain?"

I shrugged, listening to the not-so-distant sounds of the continuing battle for base. "I'm not really sure, Dean. I think I'm going to stay behind and see if I can get a ride out at some point, but it sounds like things are still pretty bad over there."

"Come with us, Cooper," Lieutenant Lewis said. "I don't know that you're going to be much safer here. There're still plenty of aliens round and with the air wing gone, there won't be anyone to evacuate the wounded for quite some time. If you come with us, ma'am, your Marines will protect you, and you won't have to fight."

"Lewis, you know I can't."

"I don't want you or your child to die here, Natalie. At least this way we can keep you safe until I can get into contact with Major Phillips. He will find a way to get you medevaced later on, I'm sure of it."

I didn't want to admit it, but my friend was right. Although I couldn't just join my company in the same capacity I'd had before, I couldn't really stay behind alone while the base was under attack, either. I might end up getting killed either way, but at least if I went with Bravo, I knew I'd have a company of Marines---of what were formerly _my_ Marines---to back me up if things went awry. And once Lewis got a hold of Phillips, I'd have a better shot at getting a ride out of the fighting altogether, too.

Bringing my assault rifle down from my shoulder, I let out a heavy sigh and looked at Bravo Company's new commander. "Ok, Dean. You've convinced me. Let's get the company on the move."

"Right away, ma'am."

As I stepped closer to Corporal Porter, I remained painfully and anxiously aware that this wasn't such a good choice for my unborn baby. But when the alternative was worse, I decided that I'd stick with what I knew.

That way, if I had to go down, I'd do it with the people I'd always fought with.


	23. Chapter 22: Always Something

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Always Something to Ruin Your Day**

**1034 Hours, January 17, 2553. UNSC Roosevelt Air Base, Skagen, Denmark. "The Target," Planet Earth. Day Three of the Fate of Humanity**

Willis was trying pretty desperately to get over a bad, alcohol-induced headache when his datapad buzzed. What he wanted to do most right then was toss the damn thing clear across the room, so that it shattered into tiny bits against the wall and thus no longer had the ability to bother him. But then he reminded himself that he'd lose all the pictures he had on there of his son Gabe, and of Cooper. So, he sucked up the raw pounding in his head and answered the stupid device.

"Captain Hawk here," he said, his voice rough from sleepiness and pain.

Not surprisingly, it was his best friend who was on the other end; in his haste to answer the call, Hawk hadn't thought to check the ID a moment ago.

"Hey, man, just thought you should know that there's a briefing in ten minutes," Brandon informed him smugly. "Don't tell me you forgot again."

_Crap_. _How the hell do I always manage to wake up within mere _minutes _of a friggin'_ _briefing?_ He tried to not-so-slyly cover his ass. "Nah, man, of course I didn't forget. I'll be there in a sec, all right?"

Captain Hawk knew his attempt at nonchalance had failed when he heard Heat chuckle over the connection. "Whatever you say, Willis. Just remember that Major Collins won't give you any slack just because you had your twenty-sixth birthday bash last night. If anything, she's gonna be pissed that you're showing up not only hungover, but also late." He paused, then added, "Good luck, buddy," before the call ended.

_Some way to start the morning off_, Willis thought to himself bitterly as he tossed the datapad back on his bunk. It had been his birthday yesterday, and already he seemed to have lost whatever luck he'd gained from turning another year older.

"Bash" had been a bit of an overstatement on Brandon's part, as there had only been a few other pilots in the rec room the night before because of flight schedules, but that hadn't stopped any of them from getting pretty well blitzed. Having humanity's homeworld invaded by aliens, however, did tend to put a bit of a damper on one's party plans.

And so did being squadron commander.

Hawk had never asked for the promotion, and he was probably more surprised than anyone when he found out he'd gotten the job as the squadron's next leader. There was no question as to whether he could handle himself in the cockpit. But taking charge of this many _other_ pilots? That was difficult. He wasn't a natural-born leader like Natalie was. She had something inside her, something instinctual that allowed her to manage and inspire the troops around her in the best of ways. Willis, on the other hand, had to be taught that kind of stuff, learned it all by-the-book like a lot of other cadets had, through his classes at the Naval Academy on Reach. For Cooper, they'd just been a way for her to sharpen her inherent skill.

He knew he had the ability to lead on a practical sort of level, but it took that extra something that only a few officers truly had in order to be great at it. It was just one of those things that you either had or you didn't, not something you could learn even through endless hours of practice or study---and he wasn't quite sure yet whether it was a quality he possessed. He knew he tried, though. He always tried so damn hard, and he hoped that one day that would show.

When Major Collins had given him the rank of captain and a squadron to lead a few weeks ago, that's when he'd realized he _did_ have it. Maybe not quite on his wife's level, but he knew he had _some _version of the quality.

So Hawk had embraced his new position ever since that day, and continued to do his utmost to excel at it. Because that was going to be the only way he could both save the lives of his pilots and kill as many of those Covie bastards as he could---which would, in turn, make humanity one step closer to eliminating the Covenant threat to his species altogether.

And, on a more personal level, that was the way that some day---hopefully some day soon---he could go back home to Mars with Gabriel, Natalie, and the new baby they were going to have. That had always been his entire focus, from day one of Earth's invasion. Hell, since he'd first been commissioned an officer in the Marine Corps, really. His family.

Of course, with Cooper being pregnant at a time like this, Willis had been nervous and worried as hell since leaving her base in Ecuador. But short of remaining there as her own personal bodyguard---which, obviously, wasn't an option for him---he knew that the best way he could ensure her and their unborn child's safety was by battling the Covenant himself.

"Hey! Willis! Man, what the hell are you still dragging yourself around for? And why the hell do I always have to play Mommy for you, huh? Haven't you learned by now how to get out of bed yourself?"

Captain Hawk didn't even bother to look up from rummaging through the small closet in his quarters for his uniform. Life in the Corps was nothing if not minimalist, at least when it came to personnel accommodations.

"You _are_ speaking to a superior officer, you know," Willis reminded his friend for the millionth time. "You could at least pretend in front of Collins for me."

Heat snorted. "Yeah, and I would, too, if you deserved it. But you're setting one hell of an example right now, buddy." He looked down at his watch. "And by the way, you officially have seven minutes."

Knowing that giving his best friend a fist to the gut wouldn't help matters any, Willis instead settled for wordlessly shoving Lieutenant Heat out of his quarters and locking the door in front of him. And then, of course, Hawk made his customary mad dash to get ready. He knew he wouldn't have time to drop by the mess hall first today, and maybe he wouldn't even have time to shave. But one thing he did need in order to ease the jackhammer currently going nuts inside his skull was some aspirin.

After that, as long as he showered and managed to get his uniform on properly, the captain would consider himself quite the fortunate man.

In exactly the amount of time he had left, Willis was somehow able to accomplish all this, and subsequently found himself sitting in the briefing room along with the rest of his squadron's pilots. Major Erin Collins walked in a few seconds later.

Captain Hawk quickly stood and shouted, "Attention on deck!"

His pilots didn't hesitate to obey the command, instantly standing as one---even Brandon. Much as Willis's buddy liked to talk smack in front of him, Hawk knew that Brandon always had his six in the end. That was why he was Hawk's best friend, and why Willis hadn't kicked his ass a million times over already in the half-dozen years he'd known him.

All of the pilots continued to stand until Collins reached the front of the room and gestured for them to take their seats. "As you were, everyone. Just be sure to listen up." She took a deep breath before she began. "I originally called you all here in regards to an upcoming Longsword mission in orbit, but that has now been scrubbed. Instead, you will all be sent to the North American continent, effective immediately."

Gasps of confusion and hushed whispers made their way across the room, but Willis had a feeling he was the only one who suddenly felt physically sick. He knew that the continent of North America was a pretty big spread of land, but all he could think about at the moment was that Gabe was sitting smack in the middle of it.

Hawk couldn't help his anxious reaction. His little boy was there.

The major, however, quickly went on despite the sudden uproar. "As you may have heard, things have been going rather badly for the continent for quite some time now. North America has been one of the most heavily bombarded of them all, with the possible exception of Africa. Airbases all across the area have been systematically destroyed, so they've been low on pilots for weeks. Additionally, the forces in South America have their own orders to remain where they are, as they've had the problem of enduring numerous ground assaults against their bases. That means no relief from the bases nearest North America." Major Collins paused and looked out at all of the pilots before focusing on Captain Hawk. "And that also means that you, Hawk, are going to send your squadron there to help."

"Yes, ma'am," Willis answered quickly, still anxious to hear the exact location they'd be sent to.

Collins continued on, giving Hawk only a slight nod in acknowledgment. "Marines, the forces on the continent were previously holding their own, despite the heavy losses in aircraft. But we've now picked up reports from ONI that the major cities in particular are being hardest hit, and they desperately need our aid. Since we do not have the resources to send Europe's squadrons out on close-air support runs on the other side of the globe, we decided to at least send a few into the largest cities to help evacuate the remaining civilian populations." She turned to the captain again, and Willis felt his heart stop at her words. "Your squadron drew St. Louis, Missouri, Captain."

_Oh, no, _he thought. _Gabriel._

As he sat there without so much as taking in a breath for a minute, Willis tried to tell himself that he didn't really need to worry about it too much. That he'd only recently gotten a letchip from Natalie's mother telling him that both she and their son were alive and doing well. But so far, the assurance wasn't working out the way Hawk had hoped it would.

Because he'd gotten his mother-in-law's message well over a month ago…and anything could have happened since then.

With that in mind, Willis would have missed Major Collins's next words, if it hadn't been for Brandon grabbing firm hold of his uniform's collar and jerking him hard---right out of his very own thoughts and back to the present.

"Make sure you gear up now," the major was saying, "because you'll be departing tomorrow morning for this new assignment." She gave Captain Hawk one last meaningful look, making sure he knew it was his job to prepare his squadron for the mission.

And though his insides felt like they'd just been crushed into a fine paste at the thought of something happening to his son---his little two-and-a-half-year-old kid, who had his mother's beautiful green eyes and Willis's everything else---Hawk also felt more resolved and more determined than ever to finally defeat the Covenant.

For sanity's sake, the captain tried his best to not even think of the role the Flood might play.


	24. Chapter 23: Unfamiliar Territory

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Unfamiliar Territory**

**1314 Hours, January 20, 2553. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador.** **"The Balancing Act," Planet Earth. Day Six of the Fate of Humanity**

Only after fighting for base for five days did we finally realize it was a lost cause. With well over half the place destroyed in the initial Covenant attack, there wasn't a whole lot left to defend to begin with. But my Marines weren't ones to give up, so they had kept going until Major Phillips eventually ordered them otherwise, always making sure the whole time to keep me out of the skirmishes. Bravo Company still found itself cut off from the rest of our battalion even now, but Lewis had managed to get into minimal radio contact with the major at the battle's end, and so he'd obeyed Phillips's command when he'd told us to pull out.

Still, even though Bravo now had a short reprieve from all the combat, I found myself struggling as we moved quickly but cautiously through the surrounding jungles. Not only was it incredibly hot and humid, making my uniform sticky and soaked with sweat---and my armor feel tens of pounds heavier than usual---but I was also working through the unpleasant symptoms of my pregnancy as well. The conditions outside would've been uncomfortable even if I had been completely healthy, but this…this was damn near unbearable.

I stopped for about the millionth time to rest, cursing my body for its inability to handle strenuous activity as well as it used to. I loved my kid, whatever he or she turned out to be, but I definitely wasn't loving the process so much right now.

_Damn Covenant, _I thought to myself, and certainly not for the first time, as I unconsciously cradled my abdomen. _If they hadn't decided to blow our entire air wing and the hospital on base, I could've been medevaced out of here by now. _That way, I wouldn't have had to go through all of this on top of being almost three months pregnant…and, most importantly, my baby would've been a hell of a lot safer, too.

"Captain, is everything all right?"

I felt Lieutenant Lewis's hand squeeze my shoulder before I nodded. "Yeah. Don't let me stop you guys, Lewis. You have to do what's best for Bravo. But I…" I briefly shut my eyes as more drops of sweat rolled down the side of my face. "I really need a break, Dean. This is all a lot harder than I thought it'd be."

Petty Officer Reynolds suddenly appeared behind Lewis; no doubt Bravo Company's commander had brought the medic with him when he'd noticed I wasn't looking so hot. Reynolds folded his arms across his chest as he stepped in front of me, then frowned.

"You shouldn't be struggling so much to keep up, ma'am, even in your condition. My guess is you're either dehydrated from the humidity in the air and all the marching we've been doing, or your blood sugar's low." He crouched down so he could meet my eyes, since I was now sitting on a small jungle root. "You know you're supposed to be consuming an additional three hundred calories a day now, right? You might not be able to get quite that much out of Bravo's limited stores, but you have to at least be sure to grab some food every chance you get. You're eating for two now, Captain, and you both need the nutrients if you plan on continuing the hike."

All I was able to reply with at the moment was a slight nod, even as Reynolds handed me three energy bars from his pack. I felt dizzy.

When he saw that I wasn't going to argue anything he'd said, the medic straightened with a sigh and added, "Be sure to take a good long drink of water after you eat those, too. It won't be good for either of you if you pass out."

"I…I know, Reynolds," I said, momentarily finding my voice again. "I've been pregnant once before, so I know how it all goes. But that's not what's…really bothering me." I shut my eyes tight and pressed my whole forearm across my abdomen, unable to keep myself from doubling over in pain. "My stomach's fucking killing me, Doc."

The medic's sunburned and sweaty face went ashen in an instant. "I don't know what to say, Captain, but that doesn't sound good at all."

"Not gonna…sugarcoat it for me, huh?"

"Can't afford to in my line of work, ma'am." Reynolds pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a moment to think. "Some Marines from base've set up a medical tent a couple klicks back, ma'am, for the handful of doctors and medics that survived the attack on the hospital. Commander Osgood's back there, too, and I can take you to her if you want. That's your best bet. But the place is constantly getting hit by roving Covie patrols, and there's not enough Marine guards protecting them, so it won't be safe for you remain there afterward."

"You can't…remedy this from here?" I asked through clenched teeth. "I don't want to deviate the whole company for this, Reynolds. You guys have a job to do, and this is my problem."

He sighed a second time, louder now. I could tell my stubbornness was frustrating him as usual.

"Bravo _wants_ to do this for you, Captain. You've always put us first. After everything you've done for the company while you've been our commander, now it's finally _our_ chance to do something for _you_. So let us do it."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Doc, I really do, but your mission is an important one. I don't want to take away from that."

"Captain, you _need_ to hear me on this," the medic replied. "I know the basics of dealing with pregnancy and childbirth, and Osgood taught me a few rudimentary treatment methods for possible complications, but I'm not really trained to handle this kind of stuff. If it's really that bad, you need to see _her_." Giving me a meaningful look, he added, "I can ask Lieutenant Lewis to round up a Marine escort team in no time if you say the word, ma'am."

"Ok," I said, slowly nodding. "A small escort's fine. That way Bravo can keep going in the---" I shut my eyes tight as another wave of pain crashed through my stomach. "---meantime."

Though he still had a scowl on his face, Petty Officer Reynolds helped me to stand then. At this point, the pain was starting to get so bad I didn't think I could've done it without him.

* * *

Five Marines from second platoon accompanied Reynolds and I to the medical tent, my aide among them. We were fortunate enough to have encountered the Covenant only once, and even then, it had only been a couple of lost Grunts separated from their main patrol column. I prayed that our luck would continue on our trip back as well.

But right now, I had more pressing issues to deal with.

"Get her onto the table, Reynolds," Commander Osgood ordered the medic as he helped me into the tent. "We're going to have to do this quick, because I've got a dozen wounded Marines from another battalion coming in in a few minutes."

"Yes, ma'am," the medic replied. He did as he was told, lifting me up onto a metal table draped with sterile linen. That was what passed as an exam table when makeshift aid stations were set up out in the field.

Not that I was paying too much attention to the accommodations. My stomach was giving me so much hell at the moment I had to bite the short sleeve of my T-shirt to keep from crying out.

"Cooper? How're you doing, Captain?" Osgood asked as she leaned over me, already busy peeling off my web belt and torso armor to begin her exam. Even through my pain-clouded vision, I saw Reynolds step back to allow the doctor room to maneuver.

"Just…great," I managed.

"You're the Marine I saw a few days ago at the base hospital, aren't you? How far along now?"

"About e…leven weeks, Commander."

"Close to three months pregnant, huh?" She frowned as she let my chest armor and web belt drop to the ground, then rolled my shirt up to my bra so she could find out what was going on. "And you thought you could just keep fighting anyway without any repercussions, Captain?"

Shutting my eyes tight as more pain coursed through my lower abdomen, I almost wasn't able to respond. "Of…course not, ma'am. The Covies just…attacked, and I didn't…have any choice. I had to…save my kid."

"Well, even though your intentions were good, it looks like the kid didn't appreciate that so much, Cooper. And I don't really blame him." She pulled out a portable sonogram unit and got it ready. Then, while she waited for it to turn on, she put on a pair of latex gloves and started gently feeling my stomach for abnormalities. "How bad's the pain, Captain?"

"Pretty…damn bad, Commander.

She glanced over at Reynolds, who stood beside the tent's entrance with his arms folded across his chest, waiting. "Reynolds? Did she take any bad falls or get hit in the stomach recently?"

"Uh, yes, ma'am," he answered. "The captain fell down some rubble during the initial attack, Commander, but she didn't fall that far. I stopped her before she could really get hurt."

"It's not her I'm worried about, Reynolds. She's young; she can handle a fall like that. But maybe her baby can't." When she'd finished palpating my abdomen, Commander Osgood looked at me. "I'm going to be straight with you, Cooper. It's too early on in your pregnancy for you to have a separating placenta, which is good, but the worst case scenario here isn't."

I felt tears forming in my closed eyes already, but I forced myself to speak through the pain---both the physical and the emotional. "Which would be…what?"

The doctor took in a breath and sighed. "That your body's starting to abort your child. A miscarriage."

"_No…_"

I heard the single word emerge in a strangled, anguished tone, and I wasn't even aware until a few moments later that I'd been the one to say it. It didn't even sound like my voice.

"Don't worry just yet, Cooper. The good news is that you're not bleeding, so let's see what's going on inside first."

The pain continued even as Osgood began the sonogram, and I remained beyond anxious the entire time. I couldn't lose this child. I couldn't lose Willis's and my baby, not over something this slight. Not after all I'd done to protect him already. _Please, God, not my kid, _I thought desperately. _Please, just let my baby be ok._

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the commander turned from her small view of the monitor to me again---and smiled.

"You have one helluva resilient kid, Captain. Everything's fine. The baby still has a strong heartbeat, so no harm done."

I couldn't remember the last time I'd breathed a sigh of relief so complete. Although the pain was awful, I was still able to weakly smile back at the news that my kid was doing well. "Thank you, ma'am. Thanks for…checking."

"No problem, Cooper."

"So what's…wrong with _me _then?"

"Round ligament pain, Captain. Your uterus and uterine muscles are expanding to hold your child, so you may be experiencing some discomfort right now, but it's normal." Commander Osgood raised an eyebrow. "You didn't get this during your first pregnancy?"

I blinked hard against the pain. It was still harsh. "Yes, ma'am. I did, but…never this bad."

"In that case, you might be getting a double effect from dehydration. You need to drink a lot of water, Cooper, especially in this climate. Otherwise your baby won't have enough amniotic fluid to develop in." Her expression was soft but serious as she started pulling off her exam gloves. "I hope this also impresses upon you the importance of keeping your child safe and out of the fighting. I know these are special circumstances, but you can't take _any_more chances. One more episode like the one Reynolds described, and you'll lose your baby. Do you understand?"

I swallowed hard. "Yes, ma'am."

"All right. We're done here then." She smiled faintly again. "Take good care of yourself, Captain. You're going to start showing in a few more weeks, and we'll be able to tell the baby's sex by then, too."

A small grin formed on my face at her words. It was all I could manage right now, but it was enough. Knowing my baby was still safe and alive was enough for me.

Doc Reynolds stepped into my field of vision then from his former perch near the entrance, and he started helping me to a sitting position on the table. "I'm glad everything worked out for you, ma'am."

"Yeah," I said, keeping my hand on my stomach for a moment longer as I pulled my shirt back down. "Me, too, Doc." _I'm glad this was just a false alarm, _I thought to myself. _Always better that than the real thing._

Once Reynolds and I were outside again, he helped me back into my gear as our Marine escort formed a tight perimeter around us. The pain was still pretty bad, but I could feel it gradually starting to subside now.

"Captain?"

I turned from snapping my web belt into place to find Corporal Porter standing beside me. He was holding his submachine gun tighter than usual.

"What is it, Corporal?"

"We just got an incoming report from the Marines guarding the aid station, ma'am. Those two Grunts we ran into on our way here?"

"Yeah?"

"They weren't a missing pair from a patrol team like we thought, ma'am. They were part of a larger force that's been branching out from the base now that the Covies've taken it over." My aide's face went absolutely white. "Now half of that force's flanked the aid station and wedged itself between us and Bravo Company, Captain." He swallowed, and I knew what he was going to say next before he even spoke.

"And the other half is headed straight here," I finished.


	25. Chapter 24: Homecoming

Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait between updates. I've had the most hectic month ever, and unfortunately with my workload this quarter it looks like it'll only get more intense. 8( But though I've started school again, I'm back in the States and ready to rock, so more updates will be coming up. Hope you enjoy and please review!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Homecoming**

**1512 Hours, January 20, 2553. On Approach to the City of St. Louis, Missouri. "The Flight," Planet Earth. Day Six of the Fate of Humanity**

"You look very happy today, sir."

Captain Hawk glanced over at his co-pilot at her words and noticed that she was smiling at him. He couldn't help but grin back.

"Yeah. I got some great news while I was on leave," Hawk replied. "My wife Natalie's pregnant again."

Howard's grin momentarily widened. "That's wonderful, sir. Congratulations."

"Thanks," Willis said, the smile never leaving his face. "My wife and I've been wanting to have another baby for a while now. She's a company commander in the infantry though, so we were going to wait until she finished up her duties. But..." Hawk's grin turned into a slight smirk. "Well, the kid ended up coming now."

Willis turned away before his co-pilot said anything more. It was all he could do to maintain his façade of calm and control in front of Howard.

The smile quickly evaporated, his brief moment of contentment shattered as reality barged into his thoughts again. Though he was happy about Cooper's pregnancy, Willis was also terrified for both his wife and their unborn child now; if the Covenant attacked, she wouldn't even be able to fight to defend herself. Not only that, but Hawk had learned just days ago that their son Gabriel was now trapped in a city overrun with enemy troops. That definitely dampened the joy he felt at having a second kid on the way.

Now that he was leading his squadron to St. Louis to help evacuate the civvies left, it was going to be up to Captain Hawk to save his little boy.

For her sake, he hoped Natalie didn't get wind of any of this.

The only thing Willis had to be thankful for was that his squadron ultimately hadn't had to deal with the consumed Covenant ship he'd found in Holland. Once Major Collins had finally sent off her report to her higher-ups while Hawk had been on leave, he'd returned to Denmark to find that ONI and a select company of Marines had been dispatched to the area instead. There'd been no word yet on what they'd discovered on the inside of the ship, however, and Captain Hawk suspected that his squadron would probably never know. For obvious reasons, the Office of Naval Intelligence liked to keep its affairs private; they'd used Hawk and his firsthand knowledge for what they'd needed, and then they'd taken things over from there.

_Damn spooks, _the captain thought to himself. _Sometimes I trust them even less than the Covenant themselves—especially after what Lieutenant Commander Glorio did to Natalie's aide in Austria. _He tried not to think of how close his wife had come to getting killed by the deranged ONI officer, too.

"Sir?"

Willis tore his absent gaze away from the controls and glanced at Howard. "Got something for me, Lieutenant?"

She nodded, gesturing at her own boards. "You asked me to let you know once we crossed over into Missouri, sir. We're a few hundred klicks outside of the city now."

"All right. I'll make the announcement."

It took less time than even Captain Hawk had projected for the first Covenant Banshees to start harassing his squadron. One second the blips on his screens were all green, and the next, the whole board was painted red with alien vessels.

"Howard!" Willis shouted in a rush. "Evasive maneuvers, Lieutenant, now!"

Luckily for the both of them, Lieutenant Howard didn't question the order, but acted immediately instead. Hawk's foresight and his co-pilot's cool execution of his command were what saved them.

Willis's boards hadn't picked up the incoming plasma cannon rounds yet, and he didn't even know how he'd realized his Pelican had been targeted. Howard must've trusted his instincts though, because they emerged from a quick end-over-end roll dizzy but intact. The enemy bolts had sizzled close, but harmlessly, past.

"Nice work, El-Tee," Hawk said to his co-pilot. "Not an orthodox maneuver, but it worked."

Impressed with the second lieutenant's adaptability, Captain Hawk allowed her to handle the flying for another moment while he addressed the squadron once more. His body bucked and jarred in his seat as Howard dodged enemy fire, but he kept his voice stern over the COM.

"Everyone, this is Gold Leader. We've still got what looks like eight bogies riding our tails right now, and we've still got some klicks to go to the objective area, so that means we can expect even heavier resistance there. Let's get rid of our unwanted escort fast, that way we can get in touch with our ground forces and figure out a good place to touch down. Understood?"

His pilots' acknowledgement lights winked green across the screen.

"All right, then. Stay with your wingmates and engage!"

Hawk pushed the throttle of his own Pelican first, watching through his displays as Brandon's icon moved just behind him. Willis flipped his craft sideways, completing another quick roll out of the way of the Banshee coming at him head-on, plasma cannons blazing. The wave of heat couldn't be felt from inside the cockpit of course, but the captain remembered his short stint of ground combat well. Things had gotten close.

"Fargo, this is Gold Leader! You're up next and that bastard's coming up on your port side, so take 'im!"

"Roger that!"

One of Captain Hawk's oldest and most experienced pilots dove beneath him to catch the already climbing Banshee, while other pilots---both human and non---sped and looped across the sky. It would have been an interesting and elaborate air show to watch from the ground if they weren't all so damn close to biting the big one.

Completing its loop under Willis's ship, Lieutenant Kevin "Fargo" Sharlon's Pelican screeched toward the quicker and more agile enemy craft. With its heavy machine guns rattling hard, Hawk knew the Banshee was in for quite a fight despite being structurally superior to its human counterpart.

And besides, with more Banshees inbound, Hawk had bigger fish to fry.

He wasn't too surprised when the viewport in front of him suddenly burst in a rapid flash of light and racing colors, then returned to normal again. Even his boards were having a hard time keeping up with the sudden traffic in the sky.

"Gold Leader to squadron: I want everyone's status quickly, right now!" Willis shouted over the COM.

"Snoopy still intact and on your wing, sir!"

"Fargo along for the ride, Gold."

"Eyeshadow bombing 'em hard!"

Similar reports were issued in rapid succession, forcing Willis's brain into overdrive as he managed weapons, flying, and supervision of his co-pilot's actions all while taking in his squadron's roll call. Blue-white lances of superheated energy came at them from seemingly all sides as the dogfighting continued.

Second Lieutenant Howard's voice broke into Hawk's already taxed mind. His mental count of status reports told him he'd lost two birds as they tried to make landfall, but it sounded like there'd be more casualties coming up.

"Sir! Banshee Seven's on an intercept course with---!"

Another bright flash lit up the Pelican's viewport, this time raining a metallic brown-green debris after it. Captain Hawk jerked his controls hard to overrule Howard's flying, forcing the craft into a fast climb and back down again in an arc over the mess to avoid getting caught in the blast. The ship that had been disintegrated by plasma fire had apparently been flying Willis's wing, just below his Pelican's nose. And that meant the pilot was---

Willis's heart and mind both stopped in one single second.

"_Brandon_!" he shouted over the squadron-wide channel.

A lump formed in Hawk's throat immediately, and he heard some vague sound escape his lips before he remembered who he was. Captain Hawk was in charge of a whole squadron now; he couldn't afford a lapse in command for any reason, especially during a firefight.

_Concentrate, Willis, _he told himself. _Heat's…He did what he had to do. Now I've got to get my pilots safely on the ground._

With an emotional pain that harsh, it wasn't as easy as Hawk tried to convince himself it was. But if he used up more time wallowing, he'd not only make his wife a young widow, but he'd likely lose most of his squadron in the process.

After tearing down the Banshee that had killed his best friend with the Pelican's mounted machine gun, Willis turned a steely gaze to Lieutenant Howard. "Open up the general UNSC COM channel, Lieutenant. Broadcast as follows: Attention all UNSC ground personnel. This is Captain William Hawk commanding Kilo Squadron, requesting pick-up from the LZ."

Unlike before, Howard questioned the order. "Sir? We haven't reached the objective area yet, Captain."

"Dammit, Howard, just do it!" Willis yelled. He rarely lost his temper, but he couldn't deal with everything that was being thrown at him right now. _My best buddy's dead, for God's sake! _"We cannot fly into a city with no birds and no pilots, Lieutenant, do you understand? The Covenant have surface-to-air missiles set up dead ahead."

He didn't wait for his co-pilot to gasp in surprise as she saw he was right. Once again, Willis had anticipated the electronic warning on his boards, had known by shear experience and intellect that the Covies would have started placing their anti-air batteries fifteen klicks out from the city. The squadron would've been ripped to shreds if they'd flown into those kind of defenses.

"Gold Leader to squadron: touch down at nearest clearing _immediately_," Hawk said gruffly through the connection. His voice was hoarse all of a sudden. "I repeat, disengage from the alien bastards and land your birds. I'm uploading rendezvous coordinates to your displays now."

Another Banshee came barreling in, whistling wildly as it spiraled from its high altitude for a third pass at Willis's craft. Instead of going through the same dodging spins he'd gone into earlier, Hawk grunted as he leaned on the controls, turning his ship directly _into_ the Banshee's trajectory.

Seated beside him without the ability to override, Howard paled as collision alarms blared. "Uh, sir---!"

Captain Hawk ignored them all. He had one goal in mind at the moment, and that was getting rid of one last Covie son of a bitch before he landed. Brandon was worth it.

"_Captain_!"

Howard's desperate cry was unmistakably more shrill this time, but still Hawk did not acknowledge her plea. Gripping the Pelican's controls tight, he stalled the ship in midair to fake a malfunction while the Banshee opened up.

The bolts were on-target. Willis and his co-pilot were nearly thrown from their seats despite the straps as a plasma cannon round burst against the hull. One more and they'd be dead.

_And yet_, Hawk smirked when he'd recovered, _I've got you just where I want you now, and you'll never see this coming._

With the Covenant craft only meters out, Willis pulled the Pelican out of its rapid descent in reverse and pulled roughly on the controls, forcing it back into the fight as the engines struggled to keep up with his wild maneuvers. Pushing the throttle harder than ever while keeping his co-pilot's protests out of his mind, Captain Hawk flew up at the Banshee from below and launched his two remaining mounted missiles. Even before the guided explosives were released, he'd already begun his dive toward the surface, trying to get as far away as possible before the Banshee blossomed.

"Captain, what…what the hell did you just do?" Lieutenant Howard cried, her own grip knuckle-white against her seat restraints.

Willis's temporary grin vanished. "Exacted revenge, El-Tee."

A sonic boom sounded a few seconds later, along with the outpouring shockwave that characterized a huge detonation against the enemy aircraft. Hawk and Howard had another few moments of getting wrenched around inside the cockpit, but Willis quickly brought the Pelican back under control. The three Banshees left hadn't completely disappeared from the skies, but they veered off toward the city now. No doubt they were sending word to the Covies on the ground that they'd managed to let a handful of human ships through. That meant the Covenant would be on Willis's squadron the moment they landed.

But that was ok with Captain Hawk. With the amount of firepower they were packing in their cargo bays, his pilots could handle it.

_We're lucky we get to land at all, _he thought to himself, remembering the flash of his best friend's ship before his eyes. The lump in his throat intensified. _Some don't even get that chance._

If things were this bad this far out of the city, Willis wondered what awaited them inside.

And above all else, he hoped his little son was still alive.


	26. Chapter 25: Workers' Comp

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Workers' Comp**

**1351 Hours, January 20, 2553. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador. ****"****The Collapse," Planet Earth. Day Six of the Fate of Humanity**

Two squads of heavily armed Marines from the 76th Tank Support Battalion maintained a loose perimeter around the large medical tent, which currently housed a few dozen gravely wounded soldiers, five orderlies, and three doctors. Reports estimated that the Covenant force coming to attack us, on the other hand, consisted of an enemy contingent equal to half a battalion of UNSC troops. Thus, not only did that mean that we now had to go up against a force that outnumbered us several times over, but it also meant that Bravo Company would have to somehow get through the other half of the alien battalion to come rescue us.

As I jogged up to the Marine guards' commander, I tried not to think of how screwed we were.

"I need to see Lieutenant Greene, front and center," I called. Being the highest-ranking field officer present who wasn't barely clinging to life inside the aid station, I'd taken it upon myself to organize the Marines who were going to be our thin line of defense until Bravo showed up---_if_ they showed up. Though of course I wasn't fit to fight in the upcoming battle, I figured I could at least make sure I got those who were squared away.

And it was a good thing I did. Much to my dismay, it wasn't an experienced first lieutenant that turned to me when I asked for the leader of the guards. Greene turned out to be a twenty-year-old second lieutenant with light brown hair and brown eyes, a kid who actually looked a lot like my husband's dead little brother. If Matthew Hawk had lived into adulthood, he would've probably been an exact replica of this young Marine.

Too bad Greene looked as inexperienced as his name.

The kid even had the bad sense to come to attention in front of me with the enemy on its way. I was probably lucky he didn't decide to salute.

"Ma'am! Second Lieutenant Isaiah Greene reporting as ordered, Captain," he said in a rush.

"Drop the formalities now, Lieutenant," I replied in a harsh whisper. I held up my left hand, which had finally healed up enough a few weeks ago for me to replace my wedding ring, and showed Greene the jagged scar that appeared on both sides of my hand. "I already had a sniper round go through me once because of my rank. I don't want it happening again, understand?"

"Uh, yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now, I want a quick inventory of all we've got, and the exact positions of all your men. We're going to have to do some rearranging before our guests arrive."

"Got it, Captain."

While he got set to work on that, I loosely held a hand to my still-aching stomach and tried to get a COM channel open to First Lieutenant Lewis. The line was beyond static-y in the jungle, but I managed to get through.

"Dean, this is Captain Cooper. I want a sitrep on Bravo."

My former XO's reply was terse and strained. I could hear the sounds of gunfire and the occasional explosion in the background. "Yes, ma'am! We are certainly keeping busy in your absence, Captain. The bloody bastards approached us from behind, over a company's worth, ma'am."

Letting out a sigh as I gripped the strap of my MA5C, I replied, "Understood, Lieutenant, but we need major support. Break through those enemy lines any way you can and rendezvous at the medtent ASAP."

I heard Lewis's astonishment in the tone of his voice. "Captain, surely you understand that I cannot possibly---"

"You have your orders, Lieutenant. You're a company commander now; you'd better get used to doing the impossible. Cooper out."

As soon as I cut the connection, I pulled my rifle down off my shoulder and turned back toward Greene. "Got what I asked for yet, El-Tee?"

"Yes, ma'am. We uh…" He grinned weakly. "We're armed to the teeth, Captain. We just don't have the manpower for it."

"Unfortunately, I can't add much to our numbers for now, kid. We'll just have to do our best with what we've got." _Dammit, _I thought, anxiously fingering my assault rifle's trigger guard. _It's times like these I wish_ I_ could pitch in. _"Our primary objective is to protect the wounded, Lieutenant. Try to keep that in mind when the Brutes come rolling in with their grenade launchers. Keep 'em occupied so they don't get too close."

"Understood, Captain."

Glancing out at the little terrain I could see before the jungle got dense, I gestured with my rifle and added, "At the very least, you won't need to worry about enemy vehicles here, Greene. The vegetation's too thick, so focus on getting your men set up about a hundred meters out and pack the anti-personnel heat instead. I want three machine guns on the lines at equal intervals, and mines placed fifty meters from our defenses. Is that understood, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, ma'am."

I held my rifle tight against my chest armor and nodded. "Then we wait."

* * *

The medical tent was already in an uproar when the first shots were fired a few minutes later. Orderlies and doctors especially rushed to tend to all the patients' needs, including the newest arrivals Commander Osgood had warned about, who'd somehow managed to sneak in just before the Covenant attack.

I sat on the dirt floor through the chaos of it all, holding my rifle uselessly in my lap and wishing I could be where I belonged right now: outside with my Marines. Corporal Porter was crouched just beside me, aiming down the sights of his submachine gun as he leaned out of the tent's main entrance. He looked as anxious to fight as I felt.

"You're not going to hit anything this far out with that gun, Corporal," I commented absently to my aide. The sounds of battle were starting to get louder now, and I watched his hand twitch. "Not that you'd be able to see anything with an S2-AM, either. Too much green."

The corporal sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

A far-off explosion rattled the ground just as I was about to reply, sending a few medical supplies on a nearby shelf crashing to the ground. Several orderlies cursed as we all ducked our heads and rode it out.

Holding my gun tightly in one hand and my stomach with the other, I keyed my shirt mike again once the reverberations had stopped. "Greene? The hell's going on out there, Lieutenant?"

"Covenant've breached the perimeter, Captain. Those were the outer mines that just went up."

"Acknowledged." I shut my eyes tight as sweat rolled down the side of my face, forcing myself to keep my voice calm. I was really worried for my kid. "Keep me posted on what happens, El-Tee, and make sure nothing gets through."

Petty Officer Reynolds was standing above Porter and I with a frown when I cut the connection.

"Ma'am, I told you it wasn't safe to remain here. If the El-Tee's line gets overrun, there's going to be nothing keeping the Covies from obliterating this place."

"Then we're going to have to make sure Greene's line stays intact until Bravo arrives, won't we?"

Reynolds sighed. "It's not that simple, Captain."

"Nothing ever is, Doc. But we're sure as hell gonna try."

Another series of detonations rocked the earth, this time shaking even the metal tables the patients were occupying. It continued for a full two minutes, one vibrating burst after the other, until dirt and torn fronds of vegetation filled the entrance of the medical tent.

I almost didn't hear Greene's panicked voice through the COM channel over the displaced patients' moans of pain.

"Captain! We have to fall back! There's too many of them!" He paused for one rapid breath, and I heard the long rattle of submachine gun fire before he spoke again. "The bastards are getting through the minefield fast, ma'am, and our MGs can't keep up with all the Covies coming in!"

_Shit! _I thought, barely recovered myself from all the successive blasts. _If Lewis doesn't get here with Bravo soon, we're cooked._

"Your orders are to stay put, Lieutenant. We can't afford to---"

"Ma'am! The Covenant are flanking our line!" Corporal Porter suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" I asked incredulously, turning sharply to face him.

But as soon as I did, I saw what he was talking about.

The injured Brute towered over us as it stood before the entrance, a sickly grin plastered on its face even as dark purple blood streamed from its head and mouth.

"This will be the end of days for you, humans."

In the stunned confusion of the moment, it took my brain a few seconds to catch up with the meaning of the alien's words. Thankfully, though, my body reacted independently of my mind, and with Reynolds's help, we managed to overturn the vacant metal table in front of us just as the Brute opened fire.

Sparks flew up from our meager cover as spiker rounds bounced off the surface, but the steel table held. Porter dove in behind with Reynolds and I a second later, keeping his head as low as the rest of us and hanging onto his helmet with his free hand.

But I knew that if we didn't do something quick, the medical staff and wounded Marines wouldn't stand a chance.

As soon as the Brute had emptied its clip, I yelled, "Take him out!"

Corporal Porter and Doc Reynolds both brought their weapons up over the table then and did just that, pulling their triggers and releasing a spray of bullets at the beastly Covie. I kept myself behind cover in the meantime, wanting to help out but aware that I had my unborn child to protect.

The Brute was dispatched in seconds, quickly overwhelmed by the volume of fire coming at it as it growled in rage. With splattered violet blood littering the table and the dirt floor, the mammoth's bullet-riddled corpse _thump_ed hard to the ground.

Still, no one started breathing evenly quite yet.

"Porter, Reynolds! Keep your guns on the entrance," I ordered. Then, reopening the channel to Lieutenant Greene, I said, "Talk to me, El-Tee."

I didn't need to hear Greene's answer to know we were losing, badly and fast. The rattle of our machine guns sounded louder and more constant than before, and during our brief encounter with the Brute who'd broken through, I'd also heard the last of our mines going up in the distance.

"We're not making it, Captain! We need support, or we need to bail!"

_Dammit_. I switched channels fast and hailed my best friend. "Lewis, where the hell are you? We are getting our asses handed to us, Lieutenant, and we will _die_ if you don't get here now!"

"Bravo is on its way, ma'am! We have been able to force our way through the enemy line, and we are only a few hundred meters out!"

"Triple time it, El-Tee. We're getting wasted out here!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Just as I was turning back to Porter and Reynolds, I heard the shrill sound of needler rounds being loosed in my direction. I rapidly ducked my head back behind the table, and swore loudly since I was unable to see where they'd gone.

I knew I had to stay out of the fight if I were to keep my kid safe, but right now there was no other way. I raised my MA5C and returned fire on the lone Grunt that had somehow made its way past Greene's lines, ignoring the sudden sharp ache in my abdomen as a result. The small alien fell in an instant, and I took the moment to reload.

I never expected the whole damn Covie army to burst through the tent's entrance right then.

Corporal Porter and Doc Reynolds suddenly reappeared with guns blazing, but it was too late. A second Brute came roaring into the aid station in a completely berserk state, throwing its weapon aside and barreling right for me.

There was no time to take cover now, and nowhere to run. I barely caught a glimpse of my aide and the medic defending against a group of Jackals and more Grunts before the metal table hit me in the face.

Unleashing its raw power, the Brute had used a massive fist to punch a dent in my cover to get to me, and had sent me sprawling on the ground a good six feet away. Blood gushed from my already broken nose, the pain so harsh that I couldn't stop myself from crying out.

"Captain!" I heard Porter yell, but by then I was so disoriented by the blow that his exclamation barely registered.

I rolled over slowly onto my stomach, watching my blood drip steadily onto the wet earth as I tried to get my discombobulated mind to focus again. All I could think about, however, was my baby. If I didn't get up and finish the Brute, my child would die.

_Hang in there, kid, _I thought desperately. _Please, please, hold on._

But instead of receiving the coup de grace I was expecting from the Brute, I found myself suddenly surrounded by three armed orderlies. Equipped with the older model MA5Bs, the Navy men were able to pump enough lead into the Covie to stall its rampage. In the meantime, I recovered as well as I ever would in the time I had, and finished the beast off with my own weapon.

Still lying prone in the dirt, I held my gun close, breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush, the pain, and straight-up fear. I'd managed to escape with my life once again, but had my kid?

"Ma'am? Are you all right?" one of the orderlies asked, sliding a hand beneath my arm to help me up.

"Y-yeah, swabbie," I stuttered. After a hit like that, my head was still spinning a little. "Tell me…things are…getting better outside."

I was surprised when his expression morphed into a small grin. "That's affirmative, ma'am. Lieutenant Greene says Bravo's starting to come in from the flanks. We're gonna make it."

"I better get out there, then, and make sure my men regroup with the company. I think I'll be staying here from now on to wait for medevac."

"Yes, ma'am. We'll cover you."

However bad it had looked from inside the medtent, things were even more chaotic outside. One of the machine guns wasn't even being manned by a Marine anymore; the barrel had been so twisted and blackened by a direct Brute shot round that it was no longer functional. Several Marine bodies lay strewn across the jungle vines as well…along with a much larger number of dead Covenant.

"Jesus," I breathed. So many had been killed already, and yet there were still plenty of alien bastards left for Bravo Company to take care of. I knew I had to be careful as I made my way towards Second Lieutenant Greene's position.

As I stepped through the thick foliage and battle debris, I held my assault rifle to bear but kept my eyes on the lookout for Porter and Reynolds. Where the hell had they gone?

Then, one of the orderlies behind me screamed just as I'd spotted my two comrades coming towards me.

"Captain, get down!"

I only had a split-second of puzzlement before I felt the blade being thrust into my stomach.

I didn't feel the pain at first---didn't really feel much of anything. The shock of having a plasma sword shoved below my torso armor had thoroughly blanked my mind even of thoughts. All I managed to realize at the moment was that, somehow, the camouflaged Brute hiding in the vegetation had been invisible, and that now he inexplicably lay dead at my feet. Someone must've taken him out quick, because the blade hadn't gone straight through me and out my back…but it was in deep enough.

A few shouts echoed through the area, but they sounded muffled, distant. Everything went into a slow motion, tunnel vision scene in the next second. Then the pain finally came.

The blood was already thick in my mouth now, spilling over my chin just as it spilled at the seams of the blade in my gut. All I could do was groan.

It was only when the darkness was gradually closing in that I noticed that I was suddenly on all fours on the ground.

What hit me more than the lightning burst of intense pain was the thought that I'd never see my son Gabriel again.

And that now, his sibling would never be born.


	27. Chapter 26: Rough Landing

Author's Note: I know this chapter's kinda short, but I'm already working on the next few chappies whenever I've got extra time. They're going to be longer, though, so it'll probably take a while. Thought I'd put this one up in the meantime to tide everyone over. ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Rough Landing**

**1522 Hours, January 20, 2553. Near the City of St. Louis, Missouri. "The Edge," Planet Earth. Day Six of the Fate of Humanity**

Touching down in the middle of a Covenant-occupied airspace proved challenging even for Captain Hawk's assemblage of elite pilots, but they managed. Willis wasn't sure of the exact location of all the birds in his squadron yet, but he figured the last glance at his boards a minute ago was a good indication. It looked like the captain and Second Lieutenant Howard were here alone for now.

The first thing he did, after picking up his family photo, was release the hatch on the cargo bay.

"Time to gear up, El-Tee," Willis said as he undid the straps on his seat harness. "We need to meet up with the others, then get into contact with the ground forces so we can get into the city. Otherwise, it's going to be a helluva long walk."

"Yes, sir," Howard replied, struggling with her own restraints. They finally both got out of the cockpit and moved to the back of the ship.

The hatch to the cargo bay opened to reveal an arsenal of various assault weaponry, including several boxes of frag grenades, machine gun ammo, and shredder rounds. A line-up of brand new silenced submachine guns, battle rifles, and magnums completed the picture, along with numerous large jugs filled with water and extra food rations for the troops. With all they were carrying, Captain Hawk figured his squadron could both help resupply the men already on the ground and keep themselves well-stocked for at least a week.

Hopefully, though, this mission would be a lot shorter than that. The pilots were, after all, only here to evacuate civilians---not to get in on the defense of the city altogether. That was the infantry's job.

Willis's heart sank at the thought as he sifted through boxes of ammunition to find clips for his BR55. _I hope you're taking good care of yourself, Coop, _he thought to himself. _And I hope you're watching out for the baby, too---because I've got to find Gabriel._

He refused to even think that his son might be dead. The thought was just too horrendous for Hawk to contemplate.

Besides, _w__hat ifs_ were pointless, and reality quickly reasserted itself in Willis's mind. His best friend had sacrificed himself for this, so that they could get these civilians and Gabe safely out of the city. Captain Hawk would honor that.

Swallowing hard on the lump in his throat, Willis finished grabbing and loading guns and equipment, then turned to his co-pilot. "Ready to go, El-Tee?"

"Yes, sir. But uh, Captain?" she asked. "What about the rest of the supplies?"

"Leave 'em for now, Lieutenant. We'll lock down the ship and come back for them later, once we hook back up with friendlies."

"Understood, Captain."

Captain Hawk stepped out of the Pelican's belly then, holding his battle rifle loosely in one hand. He completed the motion cautiously, a lesson training and experience had instilled in him---but that wasn't always enough.

The only thing that stopped him from getting killed was the protective torso armor he'd just strapped on.

A whole clip of translucent purple needles suddenly shot out from the nearby trees, and Hawk managed to duck just in time to avoid all but five of them. Some bounced harmlessly off the ground, while others fragmented on the Pelican's outer hull, making a faint sound like glass shattering. The same happened to the handful that burst against Willis's chest plate---except this time, he felt them a lot more than he heard them.

"Captain!"

For a moment, Hawk was only vaguely aware of where the voice was coming from and who it belonged to, but right now it didn't matter. The armor-clad Brute that appeared from the surrounding brush, along with its two-Grunt escort, was continuing to fire its needler at an impressive rate, keeping the two humans pinned.

When he came to his senses a few seconds later, Willis could taste copper in his mouth. Still lying prone in the grass after taking the hit, he turned his head to spit out the blood, then aimed down the sights of his weapon.

_Ready, aim, fire._

Using the battle rifle's scope, Hawk was able to pick off both Grunts in quick succession with headshots. Neither alien was really far enough away to warrant the enhanced zoom function, but having larger sniper targets than usual was never a bad thing.

Besides, it was what the captain excelled at.

With the two smaller Covies down, however, the remaining Brute roared and decided to come at Willis and his co-pilot with bare fists flailing.

The captain barely managed to roll out of the way of the alien's massive swinging arms, his brain still a little fuzzy after the impact of the needler rounds. He heard Lieutenant Howard firing off her submachine gun over his head, trying to get at the Brute before it got to him, but the veteran Covie was fast. In one lightning motion, it managed to get close enough to Willis to give him a solid kick in the stomach---the hit had so much force behind it that Hawk felt it reverberate through his armor, and he groaned.

Before he could recover fully, Willis reopened his eyes to the glimmer of the Brute's translucent shielding above him. And as pain flooded his upper body, he knew that at this point, he wouldn't be able to do anything to stop the beast.

_Gabe, Natalie…I'm sorry, _he thought to himself, blood filling his mouth again. _I tried._

Hawk shut his eyes tight and waited for the finishing blow. It was going to be a bad way to go.

The Brute's fist made a harsh thudding sound as it impacted the top of Hawk's armor, drowning out Hawk's muffled cry of pain, then quickly got stuck in the dent it had made between his armor plates. The Brute's aim had been slightly off, as it had been going for Willis's head, but the Covie was already trying to correct the error.

Yet it was that mistake that Howard capitalized on. Slapping a fresh clip home, the second lieutenant pulled the trigger of her SMG just as a portion of body armor bit into the side of Willis's throat. A spray of high-velocity bullets hit the Brute square on its chest and, because its shield had already been drained by Howard's earlier attacks, forced the alien back.

Dark alien blood came spattering out onto Willis's face and armor even as he shielded his eyes, then onto the surrounding grass as his co-pilot continued to pump lead into the enraged Covie. Once Howard's clip was spent, the Brute finally fell with one last dying roar, and flopped to the ground beside Willis.

And just like that, the brief skirmish was over.

Everything had happened so fast that Hawk didn't even realize he'd been holding his breath. After spitting more blood out onto the grass, he slowly rolled onto his back and looked up at the sky. There were Banshees still circling overhead, no doubt looking for his pilots' positions. Willis knew they had to get going soon.

Hawk placed a hand against the shallow cut on his neck and took in several lungfuls of oxygen before he tried to move. He could hear his pulse thundering in his ears, and he was aching all over, but he was alive.

_I'm really alive? _he wondered for a fleeting moment. Then he winced. _Well, I guess I must be, otherwise I wouldn't be hurting so bad…_

"Sir? Captain, are you all right?"

It took a moment for Willis to register Lieutenant Howard's voice---she was crouched over his head, holding her weapon diagonally across her stomach and looking down at him with worry written on her face. Hawk had to shake his head clear of the fog before he answered.

"I'm…ok, El-Tee. A little…battered and bruised, but ok." Willis's hand came away from his neck slick with blood, but he ignored it and wiped it on the side of his uniform pants. There wasn't a whole lot of it, which meant the cut was probably superficial. Still, it'd been close. "Thanks for the save. Have you tried to make contact with the others yet?"

She shook her head. "No, sir, but I'll get working on it."

Lieutenant Howard stood then and took a step back, finally giving Willis enough space to try to get back on his feet. The captain glanced at the sky again once he was sitting up, pausing to allow his swimming head to catch up with the motion, and heard the renewed wailing of Banshees.

"Well, you'll have to hail them while we march, Howard," he said. "Looks like we'll have a tough time making it into the city."


	28. Chapter 27: Cut Deep

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Cut Deep**

**1912 Hours, January 20, 2553. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador. ****"****The Burnout," Planet Earth. Day Six of the Fate of Humanity**

It was raining hard outside when I woke up.

I wasn't really aware of anything at first, not even the pain. All I knew was that I was lying on something cold, hard, and metal, and there was a Marine standing over me. I'd missed Willis so much in the past couple weeks that at first, my muddled brain registered the figure as him.

"W-Will?"

"Nope, not him. But this does look familiar, huh?" a male voice replied. "Your gaining consciousness after a particularly nasty hit, and asking about your flyboy's welfare before your own? Must be love."

His tone was light, but I could also tell that something wasn't quite right. With the state I was in right now, though, I just didn't have the presence of mind to try to figure out what it might be. I did, however, start to feel the dull throbbing on my face, as well as a terrific ache in my abdomen.

"Should I…get used to…waking up to your face from now on, Hayden?" I said in a low, hoarse voice before I opened my eyes a crack. "Because I'm…pretty sure Will would…have a problem with that."

Expecting my best friend to let out a chuckle, I was surprised when his reply sounded serious. "Natalie, I don't want to prolong this for you, ok? I'm really glad and relieved that you woke up, everybody is, but…there's some things you should know."

"What?"

Hayden's voice sounded different than any other time I'd heard him speak, and it worried me. "Do you remember what happened to you, Cooper?"

"Not…really. I don't…I don't remember much of anything."

"You uh, you almost bled out when the Covies attacked, Natalie. In fact, the only reason you're still here is because you were literally feet from the aid station when you got stabbed. Commander Osgood had to rush you straight to the surgical tent to get you stabilized, and even then it was close." Hayden paused to swallow and take a breath. "If that had happened to you in the field, with no doctors around and just a combat medic to help you, you wouldn't've made it."

_Holy shit, _I thought. _I was stabbed? _That explained the incredible pain in my stomach, but it didn't fully explain Hayden's strong reaction. "Well, I'm…still here, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but…" He trailed off this time, unable to finish, and my previously blank memory finally caught up a bit.

I felt sick as dread filled every part of me.

"Oh, God. Oliver, what about my kid?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you," he replied gently. "You lost the baby, Cooper. I'm so sorry."

The words hit me with an impact worse than anything else I'd ever felt. It was different from a physical blow---those, no matter how bad, were temporary and would heal. Losing my unborn child, however, was something I knew I'd never fully recover from. Willis's and my baby was gone.

Though the deep stab wound in my gut made it excruciating to sob, that's exactly what I did for several long minutes. Like when I'd found Willis alive at the conclusion of the forest battle in Austria, it was something I couldn't help, an emotional punch so hard it was uncontrollable. I wasn't able to stop until I felt Hayden grab my hand and squeeze it.

"Natalie, listen to me, ok? It'll be fine. I know how bad it hurts now, and I'm sorry for your loss. But you two can have another kid, Cooper. The doctors were able to do that for you." He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. "It was a close one because of where that plasma sword punctured you, but you can still have kids."

I didn't know how to reply without starting to bawl again, so I remained silent for a moment. Then, swallowing hard, I said as a half-hearted joke, "So what's the bad news?"

"I really wish you hadn't asked yet, Coop."

The queasy feeling of dread momentarily returned. "Willis?"

"Sort of. He's not dead, as far as we know, but Major Phillips got a report a few hours ago. His squadron's in St. Louis, Natalie. The city was just bombed, and apparently they went to pick up any remaining survivors. It was one of the last major cities left in North America the Covies hadn't hit yet, so it's gotten a lot of attention."

It was all too much at one time. I'd never expected Hayden to answer my sarcastic question with even more bad news concerning my family. I almost wasn't able to ask the one question that remained.

"What about my son?"

Captain Hayden shook his head. "We don't know, Cooper. I'm sorry."

"Jesus, Hayden," I was able to get out before emotion took over my voice again. "I can't lose all of them at once. I can't lose either of them. I've already lost---"

My best friend's hand squeezed my own a second time, even as I felt a renewed wave of tears roll down my face. "I know, Natalie. Don't worry, I'm sure Willis and Gabriel are fine. Your husband will take care of him." His expression morphed into a dark frown then. "And you can bet our battalion'll be taking care of the alien bastards that did this to you. I promise."

* * *

I lay in the medical tent for several more hours while the 102nd Battalion, which had managed to hook back up with Bravo sometime while I was out, finished mopping up the Covies that had stemmed out from the base attack. The burning pain in my stomach was a constant, and so was the nausea and vomiting that accompanied the wound. I felt dizzy from the blood loss when I tried to move my head as well, but the medical staff kept me as comfortable as possible nonetheless.

They knew I'd just lost my kid.

Shutting my eyes tight against the thought and the pain, I gently placed a hand over my abdomen, even though I knew my baby wasn't there anymore. I tried not to think of how devastated Willis would be when he found out…if _he_ was even still alive.

_Oh, God, _I thought. _How am I keeping it together after all this?_

"Captain? Is this a bad time?"

I snorted even before I glanced over to see who it was. "It's going to be a bad time for a long time to come, Doc. Just…go ahead and say what you need to."

He sighed and held out a letchip. "You gave this to me in Cote D'Azur, ma'am, remember?"

"What is it?"

"In case anything ever happened to you, I was supposed to ship it to your husband. It's your goodbye video." Reynolds carelessly tossed my bloodied dogtags onto my chest, but then I heard him swallow. "Almost had to give those to the burial squad, too. I'd already told them to make sure they sent those to your son when they were done with 'em, as you'd requested, Captain."

"Shit. Doc…"

The medic shook his head to stop me. "Look, I know how awful this is for you, so I'm not going to stand here and make you relive it. Just take it easy, please, ma'am, and heal up quick."

Petty Officer Reynolds walked out before I could reply, but I didn't think there'd been anything left to say anyway. I picked up my dogtags from my shirt and slowly sat up.

The pain was worse than I'd thought possible. I grunted as I pressed my arm hard against my stomach, willing the searing pain to subside. It'd been over a year since I'd received the plasma wound that had landed me in ICU, and though I could never forget how bad plasma hurt, it hadn't exactly been at the forefront of my mind until now.

Noticing my obvious discomfort, one of the orderlies running by stopped to look me over. "Captain? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," I answered through gritted teeth. "I need to…get back in the fight. Got a...remedy for this?"

"No can do, ma'am. Doctor's orders. You need to stay put for at least another twenty-four hours while your body heals up. It's a miracle you even survived that." He gestured to the arm around my middle. "I can get you another shot of morphine, though, if you need it. The 102nd resupplied us when they came in."

"What do you mean…_another_ shot?"

"You were out cold for several hours after you took the hit, ma'am, and then given anesthesia and drugged up for the surgery. The pain you're experiencing right now isn't even a quarter of what you'd be feeling without morphine. It'll start getting worse as the medicine wears off, too."

At first, I didn't want to believe it. With effort, I grabbed my tags roughly with the arm around my abdomen and pulled them over my neck again. The Covies were still on the attack, and while Bravo had now hooked back up with battalion, I knew my company needed me. I needed them, to get my mind off what had happened to my child.

But I just couldn't do it. Not when the pain and the symptoms were this bad _with_ the drugs.

Reluctantly, I accepted the fact and sat back, nodding in reply. It was the only thing I could do for now, but later…

Later, I'd make the Covenant pay.


	29. Chapter 28: In Good Company

Author's Note: Just wanted to make this clear since Ch. 27 went through a couple of alterations: Cooper did in fact lose the baby in the last chapter, as I reposted the original version. Sorry if all the changes confused anyone. :P

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: In Good Company**

**1556 Hours, January 20, 2553. Near the City of St. Louis, Missouri. ****"****The Outskirts," Planet Earth. Day Six of the Fate of Humanity**

Cutting across the field where they'd landed was the easy part, but now Willis had to find the rest of his pilots---or maybe a road. He tried to remember the maps he'd studied of the area surrounding the city at least fifteen klicks out, but between the lack of sleep, the anxiety over his son, and the wounds the damn Brute had given him, he couldn't seem to get his mind to focus. He settled for keeping a tight grip on his battle rifle and looking over at Howard instead; the electronic suite in his flight helmet had stopped functioning since getting jostled during the air battle.

"Anything yet, Lieutenant?" he asked her.

Hawk's co-pilot shook her head sadly. "Nothing, sir. Not a damn thing, though the others must've landed somewhere nearby."

"What about ground forces?"

"There's a Captain Tim Raleigh posted five klicks out with his ODST company, sir. But they're having problems of their own. He said if we can somehow get to them, they've got a small motor pool and escort team available to get us into the city, but they can't come pick us up."

Willis nodded with a frown. The situation wasn't exactly ideal, but the fact that they had an option at all was better than making their way towards the devastated city alone and on foot. "All right. Sounds good to me, El-Tee. Tell Raleigh to set up a rendezvous point in twenty minutes. We'll be there."

_All of us will be there, _Hawk added to himself. _I've just got to figure out a way to gather up the squadron, and fast._

* * *

Ten minutes passed with no new contacts, friendly or otherwise. The skies above were still filled with the shrill sounds of Banshees and the occasional Hornet looping by, but the troops on the ground for either side were curiously absent. Willis wondered where the Brute and two Grunts he and Howard had encountered upon landing had branched out from, and where the larger enemy force was hiding out now. Maybe they were being watched.

Captain Hawk winced as pain momentarily shot through his upper body. _Yeah, that's the last thing I need right now, _he thought. _An ambush coming my way._

Just as he finished the thought, however, the sound of weapons' fire suddenly came through the rubble up ahead. Hawk immediately ducked and silently motioned for Howard to do the same, but the fire wasn't directed at them. From the sounds of it, it was plasma rifle fire, and it was coming from just beyond the next row of destroyed suburban homes.

But first an empty, desolate road lay before them. They had to get across before they could investigate the sounds.

Hawk knew this was going to be difficult to negotiate; unlike its surroundings, the street had little in the way of large objects to be used for cover, and the Covies could easily have plasma cannons or even snipers trained on the road, and he would never know it until it was too late. Still, the captain knew they had to chance it in order to forge forward. He continued holding his rifle tight and waited.

"Move up on the left, El-Tee, now," Willis whispered to his co-pilot when he heard the alien gun go silent. "I'll take this side and we'll see what's going on."

If the Covenant were discharging their weapons, that meant there were humans here---and chances were, they'd be Hawk's missing pilots.

Willis made sure he'd checked every single remaining rooftop and shadowy corner before exposing himself. There were still angles he couldn't see until he was out in the road, but he was trying to take it carefully, one step at a time. And as he moved to the last available cover---a badly damaged, overturned truck---he was grateful for his caution.

Two plasma cannons opened up at the same time, one coming from several dozen meters down the street, the other cutting across perpendicularly from the other side. The crossfire method was particularly effective and innovative on the Covenant's part, and Hawk was glad he'd chosen the vehicle he had; it was turned in just the right way to keep him out of the line of fire of both gunners.

He could only hope Second Lieutenant Howard had had the same amount of luck, because he couldn't even see her anymore.

Lances of boiling-hot plasma _thump_ed against the underside of the truck's bed, which faced both Covie gunners at an angle, while Captain Hawk curled himself up against the inside. He could already hear parts of the truck's metal frame screeching as sections of it were twisted, melted, and shot right off from the intense heat of the plasma bolts. Willis knew if he didn't do something fast, the same thing would soon be happening to him.

For the cannon blazing at the end of the street, Hawk could do nothing; it was too far out of range for grenades, and the moment he popped up to return fire with his BR55, Willis knew he was cooked. The option that remained was taking out the side gun first.

The captain dropped to the ground on his belly now and started to crawl to the side of the vehicle. Superheated rounds of enemy fire were still being concentrated on his position, but he had no alternative to taking the offensive if he wanted to make it across the street. Keeping himself as low as possible, Hawk slowly pulled his weapon forward around the truck's back tires and looked through the scope.

It was a lone Grunt manning the plasma cannon, so Willis pulled the trigger.

He'd aimed for the top of the Covie's head, the part of its dome that was just barely visible over the main barrel of its automatic weapon, and nailed the shot perfectly despite the motion of the turret. The three-round burst tore through the small alien's brain in an instant, and at last the first cannon was finished.

But Willis knew that now the other plasma gunner would try even harder to roast him. He threw himself back behind the truck bed the second after he'd fired his BR55, and kept his head down as the enemy gun opened up with renewed fervor. He'd been expecting that to happen.

What he hadn't expected was the Covie patrol that suddenly appeared down the road, heading towards the gun Hawk had just liberated. Since the truck's rear axel was all but melted off from the plasma bolts, Willis would have nowhere to run if that cannon found a new gunner. Captain Hawk pressed his back tighter against what was left of the truck and prayed the newly arrived group of Covies overlooked him.

"Captain! Keep your head down, sir!" a voice called out over the sound of the plasma cannons. It wasn't female, though, which meant it wasn't Howard. "I'll take these fellers!"

As Willis watched curiously through plasma-burned holes in the truck bed, an ODST in full armor came bounding over a low fence from the other side of the gun, facing the oncoming band of Covenant soldiers. Much to Hawk's surprise, the brawny Helljumper was gripping a thirty caliber machine gun in his massive hands.

And once he was in range, the trooper let it rip.

Hawk shut his eyes and ducked his head out of pure reflex when the MG opened up. The harsh rattle of the weapon drilled into his mind, a sound much louder and much less refined than that of the plasma cannons, and waited for it to stop. Eventually, it did.

"Yeehaw! That's how you get 'er done!" Willis heard the trooper cry.

The voice sounded so close that Hawk glanced up for the first time. The ODST was now standing calmly before him, wearing a wide grin.

"Got 'em, Captain. Road's all cleared up now."

"What about the other cannon?"

"Taken care of, sir."

"Huh." Willis blinked, too dumbfounded to even try to stand yet. "Good work, Trooper. You see another pilot around here?"

"Lieutenant Howard reporting in, sir," his co-pilot answered as she came up to stand beside him. "Staff Sergeant Gordon and I flanked the first plasma gun while it had its sights on you, Captain. You just beat us to it."

"Well, nice job just the same, El-Tee. But who took out the second one, then?"

"That'd be me, sir."

Captain Hawk turned to face the third Marine surrounding him. The tall, brown-haired pilot had a signature smirk on his face, and was holding out his hand for Willis to take.

"See? I knew I'd always end up having to be the one to save your sorry ass, even after your promotion."

Willis smirked himself, but he tried not to let it show. "Sounds like Natalie and I are going to owe you a lot."

"Don't sweat it, sir. Naming your next child after me will be thank you enough."

The captain snorted as his best buddy helped him up. "You're a crazy son of a bitch, Heat, you know that? If Cooper and I have another son this time around, there's no way I'm gonna name him Brandon."

"He's Cooper's kid, too, though. Maybe she'll like the name."

When Hawk was standing, the two Marines clapped each other on the back once before bringing their weapons to bear again. Aware that the four of them were standing in the middle of a formerly Covenant-controlled street, the captain had them all move further into the neighborhood.

"How the hell did you get dirtside, Heat?" Willis asked his wingmate while the Marines took a moment to regroup. "I…watched your Pelican get blown out of the sky. Thought you were a goner."

First Lieutenant Heat shook his head sadly. "No, sir. My bird took a hit and Dave and I got our COMs fried so we couldn't report in at the time, but that wasn't us. The ship that ate the big one was Fargo's, Captain."

"Shit." Hawk swallowed hard for a moment, trying to take it all in. "So where's Lieutenant Jacobson?"

"I sent him to scout up ahead, sir. I decided to backtrack when I heard the plasma cannons open up behind us. We should be coming up on his position soon."

"What about you, Sergeant?" Willis inquired, turning to face the lone Helljumper in the group. "Where's your unit?"

"Captain Raleigh sent me, sir. I'm here to take your boys and girls to the RV point."

Willis grinned, glad things were finally going his way for once. "Excellent, Gordon. Let's find the rest of the pilots, and then you can lead the way."

* * *

Surprisingly, it didn't take Captain Hawk long to gather his squadron. All had landed in a hairy combat situation, under fierce fire from both the Covies in the air and on the ground; however, they'd been able to land within three klicks of one another, as there weren't too many clearings large enough to accommodate a Pelican's bulk. Once assembled, the pilots followed Willis and Staff Sergeant Gordon to the rendezvous point. Captain Timothy Raleigh was waiting at a makeshift company CP.

"You're Kilo Squadron's commander, I take it? Captain Hawk?" Raleigh asked.

Willis nodded. He held his battle rifle at an angle across his middle as he spoke, but kept his finger near the trigger guard. "That's me. You got those 'Hogs waiting for us, Trooper?"

The Helljumper gave Hawk a tight smile. "We sure do, flyboy. Let's get your squadron on the move. Things are shitty as hell the closer you get to the city, so you'll need all the extra time you can get if you're going to evac all those civvies."

"Yeah? What's happening?"

Raleigh shrugged, a forlorn look on his haggard face. "Covies bombarded the city just before you flyboys came in, probably happened less than an hour ago. My company barely made it to the outskirts alive. You didn't hear?"

Captain Hawk wasn't able to speak for a good minute or two. He could feel the blood completely drain from his face.

"Hawk? Still with us?"

Willis snapped out of his momentary lapse at the sound of Raleigh's voice and eased the grip on his rifle. "Uh, yeah. But my son's…my kid's in the city, with my wife's mother…"

Though the ODST captain had been standoffish earlier, his tone went softer now. "I'm sorry. Do you know where your son is? Depending on which sector of the city he was in, he might've gotten evaced before the Covies hit."

"He was...at the ONI facility."

Raleigh snorted. "Well, you know how the spooks are. Their evac procedures have been kept under wraps, but that facility is heavily fortified. Would've been the safest place to be when the Covies hit. I'm sure you'll find your little boy there."

"Thanks," Willis replied. "I…really hope so."

"All right, then. Shall we get you flyboys on the move?"

Hawk nodded, still trying to keep a handle on his emotions. "Yeah. Sooner the better, Raleigh."

The two men headed to the motor pool with Hawk's pilots in tow, along with a squad of ODSTs that would act as Kilo's escorts. It wasn't very far from the company CP…though it looked like it had seen quite a bit more action than Captain Raleigh's field office. Black craters and rubble dotted the landscape around the motor pool, while a persistent smell of burnt grass and plaster filled the air.

"Covies've been blasting the hell out of this area for hours now with their Banshees; I'm surprised there's any 'Hogs left at all. The bastards have complete air superiority in these parts." The captain directed a meaningful glance at Willis. "Hopefully after your men've brought all the civvies out, you can get back up there and help us get rid of 'em."

"You can count on it, Raleigh," Willis answered. "But I've got to find my kid first."

The Helljumper stuck out his hand. "Good luck, flyboy."

A weak grin was all Hawk could muster in return. "You, too, Trooper. Semper fi."


	30. Chapter 29: Desolation 1

Author's Note: Gah! It's been for freakin' ever, right?? So the truth of the matter is, junior year of college is a bitch, and my winter break was considerably shorter this year than last. Literally a full _month_ shorter. Add to that my Dragon Age: Origins phase, during which I did little other than eat/sleep/breathe Alistair romance...I mean Dragon Age...playthroughs, and you can hopefully start to see why this (admittedly shortish) chapter took me so darn long to write. :P Massive apologies for the long delay! It's been sitting on my laptop half-written for pretty much two months now, though, so I decided to just put it up as a two-parter so I don't prolong the wait.

Hope you all enjoy, and I promise to post part two in a timely fashion. In the meantime, reviews please! :)

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Desolation, Part One**

**0536 Hours, January 27, 2553. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador. ****"****The Forest Floor," Planet Earth. Day Thirteen of the Fate of Humanity**

"What do you see, Captain?"

Crouched between the thick foliage of the jungle, I slung my rifle over my shoulder and took a long sweep of the area with my field binoculars. The large mound of assorted vegetation and brambles up ahead definitely looked out of place. _That must be where the Covenant are hiding, then, _I thought to myself.

"Check out those plants at one o'clock, El-Tee. Something's there."

I handed the binoculars to Lieutenant Lewis, then pulled my MA5C into my hands to cover him while he surveyed the area.

"Yes, ma'am," my XO said after a moment. "Do you believe this is what the major has been searching for?"

"Yeah, Dean." Slowly, I eased myself to a standing position and tried to keep Lewis from seeing how hard I grit my teeth. My stomach was still killing me a lot more than I let on, and it had already been a week. "Come on. We've gotta get back to the company and let Phillips know."

Instead of acknowledging the order, however, my best friend slipped a hand beneath my arm to help me up, then turned to face me. "Natalie, how are you…" He swallowed. "How are you coping with all of this?"

I didn't move for a second, or meet his gaze. Eventually, though, I answered in a low voice, "I try not to think about it. Now let's move, Lieutenant."

Lewis seemed like he wanted to say more, but I shot him a look that made it clear the conversation was over as I stepped past him. I couldn't deal with talking about what had happened right now, and we had a halted group of Marines to get back to.

Bravo Company, along with the rest of the 102nd Battalion, had gotten several dozen klicks away from the site of the aid station skirmish before Major Phillips had split us up again. Our battalion commander had remained with the two companies he posted nearest the medical tent to make it safe for when the medevac Pelicans arrived, while Bravo and Charlie Companies had been sent out to patrol the eastern and western flanks, respectively. The Covenant never fought as hard as they had in Portoviejo for nothing, and since communications with the regiment were currently down---which meant no new orders---Phillips had made re-securing the outlying area a top priority. Bravo and Charlie's job was going to be finding friendlies…and figuring out why the Covies were here.

My company and I had already spent the better part of a week marching through the hot jungles before I'd deemed it safe enough for a prolonged halt. And even now, I'd had to make sure we were in a safe enough position for it.

By the time Dean and I returned to our Marines, I was absolutely dripping with sweat, tired as hell, and I felt like every single part of me ached. We'd met little enemy resistance during our hike, but the rainforest was getting thicker the deeper we went in, making progress slow and difficult to attain as we hacked our way through with combat knives and machetes. Every yard we managed to advance now was hard fought.

And after all the blood I'd lost during the skirmish at the medical tent, the going was even rougher for me.

No one even knew what to say to me when I'd first shown up, and, to be honest, I hadn't really been sure what to say myself. The only thing that had been circulating my mind for the past several days wasn't the invasion, wasn't the battles, wasn't the war effort itself. It was my child.

The child I'd lost.

True, the baby had never been born, and I'd never even known what sex he or she was, but that didn't make any difference. Losing Willis's and my child crushed me like nothing else ever had before. I felt eviscerated and hollow, an empty shell of my former self, and the only thing keeping me going these days was my resumed command of Bravo Company. Despite recent events, I was still a combat officer in the Marine Corps. I'd taken an oath and I had a duty to my men, and that was all that mattered.

But damn, was it hard.

Exhausted, I stopped in the first halfway decent patch of rainforest floor I could find and sat. Shutting my burning eyes for a moment, it was only once my breathing got back to normal that I spared what little energy I had left to wipe the sheen of moisture off my face, using the bottom of my equally sweat-soaked T-shirt. I sheathed my combat knife for the first time in days and leaned back against the dead foliage, holding my assault rifle loosely against my chest armor. I was grateful for the rest.

When I reopened my eyes a few minutes later, I didn't sit back up just yet, but instead found my attention drawn to my wedding band. It still shone a bright, clear gold in the tiny pinpricks of sunlight that filtered through the thick canopy, even after all the messy situations we'd been in the past seven days. It was a reminder of the life I was supposed to be having with my husband and our son and our new baby---and instead, all I was getting was this.

I wanted Willis. I _needed_ Willis. I'd just lost our baby, and I couldn't bear to go through something like this all by myself. But he wasn't here.

Before I became aware of my surroundings again, I suddenly glanced up to see 'Kuatee standing in front of me. It looked like he was studying me, but at the moment, I couldn't even muster enough emotion to be mad at him. I'd privately cried so much in the last week I was all out now.

"It's easier to just say things instead of making people try to figure out what you want, you know," I pointed out to the Elite. "Unless you enjoy making up stories about how dull humans are since they can't read your mind."

'Kuatee said nothing at first, continuing to regard me with a curious expression. Then, just before he knew I'd get fed up with him, the alien spoke. "Do you believe in destiny, Captain Cooper?"

I snorted. "I don't believe in crap, Atom. Not now that I lost my…" I tried not to choke on the words, failed, and tried again. "Not now that I lost my kid."

"Yes. You and your mate, the pilot, will be displeased for a time, but there will be others."

"It's not as simple as that, alien boy. Children aren't just _things_ you replace." Sighing in frustration, I added, "They're not _offspring_ to us humans; they're a part of ourselves. Will and I can have another kid in the future if we want to, but that won't erase the baby we lost."

"You are a warrior and a leader in a time of war, Captain. Your place is with your men now, not with your family."

_Yeah, _I thought to myself. _Like I don't know it. _My husband and son were probably dying or dead in a far-away part of the globe right now, while I was here with Bravo Company. I was well aware of what I was sacrificing by honoring my duties. What I'd already sacrificed.

"If you want to defeat the Jiralhanae and their mindless underlings, you cannot succeed by remaining idle in self-pity. Embrace your pain so that you may turn it into strength, to use against the Covenant, and you---your entire _species_---will one day be freed. You will see your family again."

I turned sharply to fix the alien with a glare. "The hell do _you_ know about my family? Up until very recently, you were helping those damn Brutes eradicate us."

The Elite stormed up to my face so fast I had to lean back out of reflex. I'd never seem Atom's expression look so hard.

"The Jiralhanae mercilessly slaughtered _my_ race as well, Captain. Humans are not quite as unique as you would collectively like to believe." He raised his carbine and glanced over in the direction of the odd mound we'd found. "Should you wish it or not, together, we shall finish this, Cooper. We shall finish this war once and for all. But you _will _need the Sangheili's help."

* * *

The halt was an uncomfortable one, at least for First Lieutenant Lewis and I. Shortly after my talk with 'Kuatee, I returned to the small ridge where I'd been overlooking the abnormal mound earlier and crouched there once more. I kept my eyes on the place even as I absently chewed on an energy bar, not even tasting the thing as I watched for any signs of movement. Not that there was much to taste anyway.

"We have to go over there, Lewis," I said to my XO as I finished the quick meal. "Phillips just gave us the go ahead. Now all we've got to do is search the area."

"Shall I prepare the company to move out, ma'am?"

I quickly shook my head. "No. We need to keep this position in case things get too hot and we need a fallback point. Space'll be a problem, too. This mission's going to be one platoon only, El-Tee."

And I already had the perfect one in mind.

* * *

"Captain? Permission to speak?"

"Granted, Sergeant."

"All due respect, ma'am, but…I feel like I've been getting spots on too many infiltration teams lately, Captain."

I let out a small chuckle. "Take it as a compliment, Dandh. It means I like you. And above all, it means you're reliable." Turning back to face him, I added, "You're one of the few who've been with me since Heath, Sergeant. Looks like it'll take a while to get rid of me."

Dandh smirked as he brought his tinted visor down over his face again. "Yes, ma'am."

"Captain!"

I crouched instantly at the transmission, signaling the Marines behind me to do the same. The voice belonged to First Lieutenant Hillburn, who was scouting ahead with first platoon's second squad.

"El-Tee?" I whispered fiercely into my shirt mike. "What do you see up there?"

"Automated turrets, ma'am. The Covies have four of 'em guarding the mound. And I can see some sort of entrance on the far side as well, Captain. This is definitely an enemy outpost."

"Sounds like it's more sophisticated than the one we ran into in Buenos Aires." _But what could be so important in the middle of a random jungle that the Covies have to hide from it?_

"Affirmative, Captain. Something's got 'em so scared they've gone…underground."

My blood suddenly ran cold as I pieced it all together. If the Flood were involved here, that would explain the Covenant's fierce attack of the base, their efforts to conceal their presence, their willingness to go underground…

Their willingness to do absolutely _anything_ to avoid being detected by the parasite.

"Marines, stay sharp," I said over the platoon-wide channel, my voice barely above a whisper. "We may have Flood activity up ahead."

Though I didn't even want to imagine the possibility, I had first platoon forge on.

The hot rain that had been plaguing us ever since the fight at the aide station started to fall again as we moved. Beginning as a light patter that gave the decaying leaves beneath us a slippery sheen, the sparse drops soon progressed to a heavy downpour of thick raindrops. My entire uniform, T-shirt to socks, was quickly soaked through and through, and wet mud now sloshed onto my boots and pants.

Uncomfortable though it was, I had Hillburn halt the platoon once we arrived at a huge felled tree just outside the range of the turrets. It was going to be my last opportunity to issue orders before we went in.

"All right, first platoon!" I said into my mike, shouting to be heard above the persistent, heavy rain, "Listen up." I took a second to adjust the grip on my rifle, which slipped from my fingers occasionally because of all the water, then continued. "There's four turrets out here and three squads, so we're going to take them out in teams. We don't have rockets, but each of you has a sniper, and they can provide cover while the rest of you head to the mound. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" came the resounding chorus, and I'd never been so glad to hear it.

The awful ache, the _hole_ in my heart from losing my second child, would never truly go away---and this fresh, I knew the pain would remain raw for quite some time. More often than not, it was hard just to breathe. But as I looked over at my equally drenched and mud-soaked Marines, a tiny pinprick of that pain momentarily dulled.

This was my family for now. And once again, it was up to me to make sure they made it through alive.


	31. Chapter 30: Desolation 2

**Chapter Thirty: Desolation, Part Two**

"_You would never believe that it would hurt this bad."_

Those were the first words my mother said after my older sister Jenna died. The first words she'd spoken in nearly three weeks. It couldn't take any of us, not my brothers, not my younger sister, not me, to get her to say anything before then following the funeral. She'd never cried, not in front of us, except for when she'd seen the closed casket in front of the altar, and Jenna's husband was receiving a folded UNSC flag with my sobbing little nephew standing beside him. But there'd been a lot of silence.

Now, at least in part, I understood.

"Ma'am? Where do we go from here?"

The voice startled me out of my thoughts, and I glanced over to see Sergeant Trevor Dandh standing beside me. I shook my head to clear it and asked, "Wanna repeat that, Sarge?"

"The El-Tee says there's another entrance she can see on the far side, Captain. The heavy rain's pushed the mud and brush enough to uncover it, and once we get past them turrets, it's a straight shot in."

I looked over the image Hillburn had just sent to my datapad and nodded. "Yeah, that should work. If the Covies are in there, they'll be expecting us to use the most obvious point of entry. They won't think to wait for us at the hole out back."

Dandh swallowed. "And if the Flood are there instead, ma'am?"

"Then it won't make a difference either way."

Shoving the wet datapad back into my pocket, I used a hand signal to get the first lieutenant's attention through a break in the foliage. I gave her the two-handed gesture with my assault rifle that meant she was free to engage, then moved into position with first squad. Taking out the turrets was going to be tough, and after that, we were all going to have to race for the entrance before any Covenant poured out.

"Your plan is risky, human," 'Kuatee said beside me.

"Sometimes it's the only option, Atom. You should know that better than I do."

"Sometimes it is the foolhardy act of a grieving mother."

I sighed and ran a hand across my dripping face. When the fuck was the rain going to stop? "Maybe. But we were ordered to go in regardless, so that's what I'm going to do."

The eerie-calm scene before us erupted too quickly then for the Elite to reply back. At the sound of the first sniper rounds _crack_ing through the automated turrets' shields, a number of Jackals and Brutes began to emerge from the main entrance Lewis and I had been observing earlier.

"First platoon! Have at it!" I shouted. "Let's take 'em out fast and get inside!"

Backed up by the rest of first squad, I rose from the cover of the vegetation and sprung on the initial group of Covenant that ran up. They'd known we were here from the sounds of the shots, but they hadn't known _exactly_ where. Needless to say, they were surprised when nearly a dozen camouflaged Marines pounced into their line of sight and opened fire.

The Brutes, as usual, were the hardest to eliminate, but most had gone off in the rest of first platoon's direction---and that left us with the stragglers. Grunts who'd been rushing headlong into the fray were cut down easily and fast, their smaller bodies getting ripped apart by the shredder rounds I'd recently ordered the company to use. That way in the jungle, not only were we able to take down Covies in the most gruesome of ways, but we also managed to clear footpaths as large chunks of leaves, branches, and roots were torn to ribbons.

Two-for-one deals were few and far between in combat, so I took it.

By the time all I could see were bullet-riddled Grunt bodies on the rainforest floor, the Jackals were already making their way up with the next wave. True to their nature they moved at a slightly slower pace, keeping their bodies tucked behind their translucent blue shields, waiting for their less intelligent comrades to take the heat first. But I didn't allow the damn bird-like things that luxury.

Seeing as my second clip of ammo was already spent, I slung my rifle across my back to avoid reloading and brought out my combat knife instead. I crept through the brambles, darting in and out as the rest of the Marines kept the Covies busy with a wall of lead, and took my first victim from behind.

Apart from the heavy shields they kept out front, Jackals had no protection whatsoever, especially against an enemy they couldn't see. I drove the blade in my hand deep into the base of the alien's neck, forcing the knife harder into its back as its blood erupted from the wound. The Covie let out a piercing screech and tried to bring its shield around to smack me off of it, but instead I jerked my combat knife out in a single controlled motion and stabbed it again. The Jackal was immediately immobilized when my blade severed its spine, and after that the rest was simple. I pulled its head back as it dropped its shield and slit the alien's throat.

_No revenge will ever be enough for what you did to my kid, _I thought, _but that's a start._

I stood there breathing hard for a moment as the pelting rain washed the Jackal's blood off my uniform and face, my stomach burning, but I couldn't afford to dwell on any of it right now. The rest of the Covie forces coming from the underground entrance were slowly making their way towards first squad, and those that had opted to go for us from the start were still plenty in number.

Overcharged plasma rounds and needles tearing through the jungle were in no short supply, either, almost matching the amount of lead the Marines around me were still unleashing. I had to dive behind a thick tree trunk to pull my gun back into my hands and reload it. When the fresh clip was slammed home, I returned quickly to my feet…only to come face-to-face with an enraged Brute.

"Oh, shit!"

Its massive fist nearly connected with my head as I dropped to a low crouch once again. While I brought my arms up to protect my helmetless head, I heard the huge tree behind me shudder with the force of the alien's blow. I was trapped now between the beast's bulk and one of the last specimens of natural forest left on Earth.

But as the Brute pulled its arm free from the hole it had made in the hefty trunk, small shards of bark cascading down, I brought my sidearm up between us and fired. The entire clip did little more than irritate the hulking alien, but at least it got it to step back enough that I could use my assault rifle instead. Acting fast, before the Brute could recover, I squeezed the trigger of my MA5C and kept it down.

The endless stream of point-blank rounds impacted the creature's chest with dull thuds, its thick hide withstanding the brunt of the force initially. But the magazine didn't run dry until all thirty-two bullets were expended, and even a Brute couldn't take that much on top of its lesser injuries. Within seconds, purple blood was spurting from its mutilated torso, and the Covie finally fell with a gurgling roar.

This time, however, I couldn't even relish the kill. As soon as the beast was down I doubled over, the pain from my still-healing stomach so intense from the rapid movements I'd had to perform that I grew dizzy for a moment. I clenched my teeth hard and gripped my rifle harder, holding it tightly across my abdomen to try to recover before other aliens made their way through the brush. Eventually, after a few labored breaths, I stopped seeing stars and was able to focus again. I reloaded both weapon and sidearm, holstered my pistol, and brought my assault rifle to bear once more. It was high time to get inside.

"Hillburn!" I shouted into my mike while I jogged back to first squad. "I want an update on those turrets. They down yet?"

It took a few seconds for the lieutenant to answer, and when she did, her voice came out in short gasps, like she'd been running---or just gotten out of a hairy situation. The volume of enemy fire around us had died down a bit since I'd taken out the Brute, meaning first platoon was doing a good job of mopping up the leftovers, but things weren't quite over yet. "Ne…negative, Captain. Turrets…one and four are…out, but the other...two're still giving us hell, ma'am."

"Then let's get to it, Lieutenant."

"Yes, ma'am!"

I couldn't see where the remaining two turrets were from where I stood, the angles of the guns' placement and the thickness of the forest making it difficult to see much of anything past a few yards. If I'd had my helmet I would've had the automated weapons outlined on my HUD, but I'd had little in the way of electronics since we'd left base. Seeing as most of the Covies had been disposed of by now, I waved first squad forward and went to scope out the scene myself.

Boiling lances of plasma were still raining down hard on first platoon's third squad, who, caught at the forefront of the Covies' aggressive defense, hadn't been able to take out the cannons on their side quite yet. I tried to move closer with the squad behind me, zigzagging through the cover of assorted jungle branches and vines. But unfortunately, the Covenant's automated defense systems were smarter than that; I pressed my face to the wet earth beneath me when the deadly rounds suddenly veered my way.

This was third squad's chance.

I covered my unprotected head with my bare arms for the second time today, wincing as several of the fiery hot plasma rounds sped past too close to my skin. Hanging onto my rifle with white knuckles in one hand, I used the other to key the mike on my shirt again, then issued orders above the rattling din.

"Third squad! The turrets' attention has been diverted! I repeat, the turrets have found a new target! Go dismantle 'em, third, _now_!"

I didn't dare look back to see how first squad was doing through all of this, for fear of ending up with a vaporized head if I did so. Instead I ordered a quick status check from Sergeant Dandh, first squad's leader, then slowly brought my weapon out from under my arm. Even from this angle, and especially since I was currently being pinned down by its unrelenting fire, it was hard to see the turret. The best I could do was let a few random shots loose and hope I hit something useful.

What my eyes didn't miss, however, was the small, glowing blue-white orb suddenly tossed into the air by one of the Marines. At that point I hugged the dirt with my entire body again and prayed the plasma grenade would stick.

The explosion came faster than usual. I knew it'd been a direct hit when jagged chunks of hot metal bounced into our midst, _ping_ing against the hard shell of my back armor. But at least the gun was out of commission now.

_All right, _I thought to myself then. _No celebrating yet, Cooper. Three down, one to go._

"Captain!" Dandh's voice boomed into my earpiece while I was getting up. "All turrets neutralized, ma'am! We got the other one while that 'nade went off. Blew both of 'em to pieces!"

_Gotta love serendipity, _I thought. A small grin formed on my face as I brushed chunks of mud off my chestplate, but it was fleeting. "Great. Nice work, Sarge. And that goes to the rest of the first platoon as well. Lieutenant Hillburn?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"It won't take long for any other Covies to notice what happened out here. Let's get these Marines inside."

"Right away, Captain."

* * *

Though the circumstances were vastly different this time around, I couldn't help the feeling of déjà vu I got when I stepped into the underground Covie bunker. Still, I found myself rethinking my earlier conviction that there were any Flood around here at all. The entrance, at least, was clear of any strange fluids or bulbous organic matter on the walls, and I didn't sense that telltale smell just yet. Maybe I'd been wrong.

God, I hoped I'd been wrong.

"Stay sharp, Marines," I whispered low into my mike. "We don't know what we're gonna find, so just remain vigilant and be prepared to pull that trigger."

Although a corporal from second squad currently had point, I kept my own assault rifle at the ready anyway, occasionally performing side-to-side, top-to-bottom sweeps with it. The Flood could emerge from any crack and come at you from any direction, and I knew enough about the parasite by now that I didn't take the lack of evidence of their presence as a sign that they were entirely absent. Instead, I continued to walk cautiously down the main corridor, waiting for the point man to halt the rest of us when he reached a doorway.

With the exception of a few green replacements, most of first platoon had seen the Flood before, so those that had hardly even breathed for most of our recon. The place was a lot smaller than I had surmised topside, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything interesting lurking down here. The young corporal at point finally signaled a halt just as we reached what looked like a dead-end.

"Captain Cooper, ma'am?" the Marine said quietly into his mike. "Would you like to come take a look?"

"Whatcha got up there, Corporal?"

"Uh…a sealed hatch, ma'am. There's blue and purple blood all over it."

My stomach lurched, and not because of the huge gash that was mending beneath the bandages that crisscrossed my abdomen. "Hold your position, Marine. I'm coming over there."

When I walked up to where the point man was, I took 'Kuatee with me. I knew without even saying a word that he was thinking the same thing I was.

"The parasite lies beyond this door, Captain."

I frowned, trying not to let the mounting fear get the best of me. "I have orders to see what's inside this place, Atom. What do you think?"

"Would your commander be pleased should your entire company be consumed by the parasite, human?"

"No. But much as I hate to point it out, we _have_ fought them before. And won." Well, we hadn't so much won as escaped, but I figured that in the case of the Flood, that mostly amounted to the same thing. "We'll never know what's going on and why the Covenant are here if we don't go in. And, it'll eventually just become yet another Flood-infested pocket the UNSC will have to try to wipe out later. We might as well get it over with."

Amid the Elite's furious protest, I ordered Corporal Bachwell to start hacking the door's electronics.

"Foolish, ignorant humans! I cannot stand for this!" Atom roared. "How could you do it? How could you willingly give the parasite an access way to the surface and endanger us all?"

"Because should anything happen, I have the rest of my company waiting to blow the entire place to kingdom come. Don't you think I understand the seriousness of what we're dealing with by now?" I let out a sigh, then ran a nervous hand through my rain-soaked hair. "I ordered my demolition team to rig the structure just as we were stepping inside. Told 'em to be ready to detonate at my signal should this little venture go up shit's creek---and they'll do it whether I'm alive to issue the order or not. That good enough for you?"

The ex-Covie's eyes went wide for a moment before his expression became neutral. "I did not know you were willing to give up this much for the cause, Cooper."

"I've given up a helluva lot more, Atom." My baby was dead, and I didn't even know if Willis and Gabe were alive anymore. I had to concentrate hard to keep the lump in my throat from forcing tears down my face. "Now let's get this thing opened up. We've got twenty minutes."

* * *

Just as I'd suspected, what lay beyond the locked hatch was only darkness. Without the enhanced visuals the HUD in a helmet provided, I had to rely on my weapon's built-in flashlight to see. It barely did anything to unveil what was in the shadows.

I shivered slightly, my uniform still wet---not damp, but _wet_---from the heavy rain outside. The further underground we went, the cooler the air became.

Though I suppose it had something to do with the uncertainty of what we'd discover as well.

"Two by two, first platoon. If you get lost down here, you don't want to do it alone. Now let's move, silent and fast."

I took point this time along with Corporal Bachwell, wanting to be the first on scene in case we encountered something too hairy and I had to use the signal. I wasn't going to give the Flood any more of a headstart than I had to. Since my own family was likely no longer in existence, my priority now was doing whatever I could to keep the rest of humanity safe.

At first the going wasn't so bad, besides the harsh pounding of my heart inside my chest. As we went deeper in, however, the cold got worse and worse, and the long shadows cast by our guns' lights grew more and more suspect. All of this was playing hell on my psyche, but I kept forging forward despite it.

That's when we reached the next room.

"Holy shit, Captain," Sergeant Dandh, who'd been behind Bachwell and I, said when the three of us walked in. The room was huge, but still not large enough for all the others, so I'd kept them outside. "Look at this place…"

Though there were no actual Flood forms to be found, before us lay the first mangled corpses---or corpses of any kind---that we'd managed to find inside the structure. A number of the bodies were Brutes, chest cavities ripped open and dead mouths gaping up at the ceiling. Others were a mix of Grunts and Jackals, and, in the far corner, even a pair of dead Hunters lay in a pool of dried, dark orange blood.

"They were massacred," 'Kuatee said softly beside me.

I touched one of the Jackal bodies with the toe of my boot, shining my rifle light on its lower half. Its guts had been torn out and were littering the floor beneath it. I wrinkled my nose at the stench. "Serves 'em right," I said just as quietly. "Serves all these bastards right."

Turning to the Elite, I asked, "So what does this mean, alien boy? Flood swept through here without leaving a trace?"

"'Cept some mighty fond memories," Dandh quipped as he studied another corpse a couple feet away.

It took a minute for 'Kuatee to reply.

"I am unsure of this, human. This is most curious. Perhaps the answers we seek lie further ahead."

I snorted. "There's not much of this place left, Atom. I only saw one more door after this one. And despite my preparedness, I'd ultimately like for us to make it out of here alive."

The Elite didn't answer except with a scoff, but seeing as there was nothing else to check out in this room, I decided to go with his suggestion and move on.

That turned out to be a mistake.

As soon as I opened the hatch to the final room, a blue-armored alien burst through the doorway without warning. Me and several others were about to pull our guns on the thing when we realized it was an Elite.

The thing's eyes looked so frenzied and its body so badly beaten, however, that it had been hard to tell at first.

"How many days?" the crazed Elite asked then, eyes wide. When I didn't answer right away, since I had no idea what he was talking about, he suddenly grabbed hold of both of my shoulders and jerked me. Hard. "How many days, human?!"

Three rifles were trained on him in an instant when I let out a pained groan; Corporal Bachwell, Sergeant Dandh, and PFC Foster all had their weapons aimed at the ex-Covie's head. And this, finally, the Elite noticed.

"You'd...better back the hell up," I said once I'd recovered, pulling my own pistol from my holster and shoving it against the alien's abdomen. When the Elite hesitated but still didn't move, I pressed the barrel deeper into his side. "You have two options, alien boy. Either you let go of me right _now_, and tell me what the hell's going on, or these three Marines all blow your head off while I pump lead into your gut. Your choice."


	32. Chapter 31: The Line Begins to Blur

Author's Note: Chapter title comes from the excellent Nine Inch Nails song of the same name. Enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-One: The Line Begins to Blur**

**1042 Hours, January 27, 2553. Near the City of St. Louis, Missouri. "The Break," Planet Earth. Day Thirteen of the Fate of Humanity**

Willis wasn't sure exactly how many days had gone by like this, but he did know that it was starting to get on his nerves. Theoretically it shouldn't have taken his squadron this much time to get through the city, especially considering that they weren't on foot, but driving had come with its own set of problems. While their escort team, a squad of seasoned ODSTs, did their best to evade the numerous potholes, debris, and enemy attacks against the small convoy of Warthogs, there was nothing much they could do about the crumbled overpasses and blocked roadways they encountered. Between the sad shape the city's streets were in and the relentless stalling tactics of the Covies, it had taken Hawk's squadron a full week to finally reach the heart of St. Louis.

If he was lucky, this was where Captain Hawk would find his son.

But for now, Willis settled for holding onto the back seat of the troop carrier 'Hog with white knuckles; the young PFC who was driving tore through the obstacle-laden landscape at speeds that caused the vehicle to fishtail at every jerk of the steering wheel.

And the kid did so for good reason: yet another Banshee air patrol had begun to harass them. The second of the morning.

"Captain! Watch it, sir!"

The cry from the driver had come at the last possible second, but it was more than long enough for Captain Hawk to react. He ducked his head low between his knees along with the rest of his pilots, just before a superheated plasma cannon round tore through the backend of the escort 'Hog directly beside them. The enemy projectile impacted on the jeep's rear-mounted machine gun, obliterating both weapon and gunner in a single sizzling blast, and forcing the rest of the vehicle to _crunch_ against a huge slab of concrete. The final heartwrenching screams of the consumed ODSTs rang in Willis's ears, even as his own 'Hog fishtailed again.

"Hang on, flyboys! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

With one 'Hog crashed and blown apart, a second escort vehicle moved in from the other side, unleashing a flurry of volleys from its gauss cannon in the back. As it completed its own run, the Banshee above finally rocketed upward, trying to gain more altitude before it circled around for another pass and, at the same time, conveniently evaded the human rounds. Meanwhile, Willis didn't dare loosen his grip on the troop carrier's overhead bar.

_At this rate, we're never going to get there in one piece, _the captain thought to himself. _We're close enough to the objective area now, and we've got to start looking for civvies to evac before we get toasted ourselves._

"Private Cortez!" Hawk shouted above the roar of the engine. "This is far enough! I think we can make the rest of the way on foot."

Willis grunted as the vehicle was abruptly jarred sideways again, doing some painful damage to old injuries across his upper body. He kept a firm hand around his battle rifle nonetheless, however, not wanting to lose the gun to the pockmarked ground below.

"Understood, sir," the PFC replied. Willis was impressed by the young kid's ability to keep the fear out of his voice, even after just witnessing his comrades' jeep get destroyed by Banshee fire. "We'll have to shake the Covies off first, though, Captain. Then we can find a secluded spot to keep the 'Hogs while you pilots round up the civvies."

Hawk's XO, First Lieutenant Jessica Meyers, risked turning to him as the ride wore on. "Sir? Do you really think anyone's still left alive in this place?" she whispered. "I mean, look around."

The El-Tee's words hit Willis hard. Glancing up at the road for a spare moment, Hawk saw the true extent of the damage---not only to the streets, but to the bombed out buildings as well. Somewhere in all of this was Gabriel, he reminded himself. So he had to believe that _someone_ had survived this place.

Lowering his head once more, Captain Hawk looked back at Meyers. "There's always some, however few, who've made it out and are just waiting for someone to come along to pick 'em up. That's what we were sent here to do, Lieutenant, and that's what we're _going_ to do. Got it?"

His second-in-command didn't miss the hurt in his eyes this time. Lieutenant Meyers suddenly remembered what she'd forgotten in the chaos of the moment: Hawk had come here because he'd been ordered to by their CO, but he also had a very personal stake in what happened in St. Louis. "I'm…sorry, sir. That was a stupid thing for me to say. I'm sure we'll find your son."

"Yeah. Of course we will, El-Tee."

Willis swallowed hard and left it at that.

* * *

It took another fifteen minutes before the ODSTs were able to get the Covenant Banshees off their tail, and another ten after that to find a satisfactory location to keep the three remaining Warthogs out of sight. As he finished unloading supplies and pilots from the convoy, Willis checked his watch, not even hiding the fact from his men that he was fidgeting from the cold. Winter had yet to relent on the devastated city, the captain noted, even though it was getting closer to noon. The sun should've been warmer by now but it wasn't.

"Sir? The equipment we brought from the Pelicans is all packed and ready to go, Captain, and the ODSTs have been resupplied as well," his XO informed him as she walked up, datapad in hand. "We're ready to move out at your command."

Captain Hawk sighed and called out, "Kilo Squadron, on me." When the men had gathered around him, he continued. "All right, everyone, listen up. We've got four main sectors of the city to go through to see if we can find anybody who's still alive, and there's only sixteen of us. That means we go in fireteams of four each. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. Now, you'll each get assigned teams as a pair along with your co-pilot---except Snoopy, you're with me."

"Roger that, sir," First Lieutenant Heat replied.

"Let me make this clear: I want everyone to stay near a UNSC command post at all times. There's still plenty of Covies all over the city, and that can make your life hell when you've got to go through a battalion of them with only a few guns. Our infantry is also stationed at various sectors as a countermeasure to try to push the Covenant back out, so stick with them whenever possible. We're not here to repel the invasion force, we're just here to pick up civvies. In, rescue, and then we split. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

Willis hefted his battle rifle and nodded. "All right. Semper fi, Marines. Let's get our people outta here."

"Oorah!"

With the teams assembled and assignments given, Willis set off towards the main part of downtown St. Louis with Lieutenants Howard, Jacobson, and Heat. He had a feeling they all had a long road ahead of them.

* * *

The streets of the once bustling city seemed eerily empty and devoid of life. So many of the buildings that, just a few months ago, had stood as monumental shadows over the landscape were now quite simply _gone_. Most had been obliterated in the form of hulking gray pieces of concrete and steel skeletons, or the fine powdery debris at their feet. No building over two stories high was still left erect.

"Look at this place, huh?" Second Lieutenant Jacobson, Heat's co-pilot, said quietly. "Not so much as a stray dog wandering around."

"Yeah. The Covies definitely did a number on the city. Bastards," Howard replied.

As they continued to walk cautiously along, stopping occasionally to crouch behind some rubble and check for any signs of enemies or civvies, Willis didn't say a word. He kept his battle rifle positioned tight across his chest armor while he scanned the terrain, looking for any nook and cranny where a civvie might be trapped---or where a Covie ambush might await them. His finger itched to pull the trigger. But then again, he didn't want to look jumpy in front of his subordinates.

Sometimes he really wasn't sure what he was doing in this leadership role. It had never been something he'd sought after or even tried to earn. He'd always done his duty to standards above and beyond the call, but at the end of the day, it hadn't been him giving the orders. Following another was simpler, allowed him to focus more on what he could contribute than on what he should tell everyone else to do.

Things had been better when he'd been with Cooper.

He missed her more and more every day, and he still couldn't quite believe that they'd be having their second child in about six months. He just hoped the upcoming event didn't get spoiled by---

_No_, Hawk thought firmly to himself. _I can't afford to think like that, not with an important mission on the line. I will find Gabriel, and I'll find him alive._

To keep his mind from veering off into morbid territory again, Willis opened a COM channel to his pilots, which had been re-established once they'd made their rendezvous a week ago. "Kilo, this is Talon. I want a sitrep from all team leaders."

His second-in-command was the first to respond. "Talon, Eyeshadow. We've run into a few patrols, maybe two or so an hour. This place is heavily trafficked by the Covies, but no sign of any civilians yet, sir."

"Acknowledged. Rocket?"

"Nothing yet, Talon. Keepin' our eyes peeled."

"Shoestring?"

"Same as Rocket, Talon. We'll keep you posted."

"Got it. Eyeshadow, try to keep your head above water. You know what to do if it gets too hot."

"Roger that, Talon."

"Everyone else, carry on. Talon out."

Willis was cutting the channel when a grenade suddenly exploded in front of him. When he woke up on the broken pavement a few moments later, he didn't even remember the blast. He just knew that there was blood in his mouth and that he couldn't breathe.

_Got the wind knocked out of me…_

"Sir! Sir! _Captain Hawk_!"

He could hear someone yelling frantically, trying to get him to crawl to cover where the disembodied voice was, but why? Why couldn't he remain here on the ground, where he could rest? He'd been so tired from the long drive, and then the march into the city…

"Dammit, Hawk, move your fucking ass!"

Finally able to take a deep gulp of air, Willis became aware then of what was going on around him. He blinked a few times and, slowly, the fuzzy scene resolved itself into a fierce firefight between a number of UNSC Marines and a Covenant foot patrol. Yeah, it was definitely a good idea to move his ass out of the street.

Rolling over onto his stomach, the captain slithered fast to where the rest of his team had taken cover---a nearby dumpster. Not the classiest thing in the world, but as long as he made it there in one piece, Hawk could care less. Before he could reach it, however, a stray round from a Brute spiker lodged itself into the captain's arm. Willis grunted harshly and grit his teeth, but continued moving. His team seemed too far away…

"Are you deaf, Marine?" someone bellowed, and Hawk unexpectedly found a pair of rough arms reaching out to grab him by his shoulders. "Dammit. Can't trust a flyboy on the ground. Damn kids leave their stupid asses hanging out in the wind if they ain't covered by an armor-plated hull."

Willis felt himself get propped up against a wall behind the dumpster; his anonymous savior had dragged him that far. He wiped the blood he felt coming down his chin with his sleeve, then felt a firm, but not painful, slap across his cheek. That brought him back.

"Son? You still with me? Where you hit?"

The captain glanced up to see a livid major glaring back at him, but he obviously wasn't a pilot. Hawk's team must have been rescued by the UNSC infantry stationed around here. Willis spat out the blood in his mouth onto the dusty ground, then spoke. "'M sorry, sir," he slurred, still struggling to remain conscious. "'nade blew up in my face. Too far…"

"You're a Marine, son. And judgin' by that ring of yours, you got a pretty little wife somewhere waitin' for you. So you don't give up, flyboy. That understood?"

Hawk nodded. "Y-yes, sir."

"Good. Then if you ain't hurt, get up and lead those pilots like you should! We'll keep the Covies off your tail."

Gradually recovering some of his faculties, Willis looked at the major again. "Sir?"

"Make it snappy, Marine."

Captain Hawk struggled to rise. The blood streaming from his arm was already soaking through his flight suit, so he used his other hand to stem the flow. "C-can you tell me…tell me where the ONI building is? Is it near here?"

The major lifted an eyebrow even as the skirmish continued around them. "Just what kinda business you got with the spooks, Hawk?"

"Gotta…find my…son, sir."

"Shit. It's this building here you're standing against, Captain. You know this thing used to have twenty-eight floors? It's down to one and the basement now."

_Oh, God._

Willis slumped against the wall as he felt his knees go weak, but the major stalled his descent and straightened Hawk until he was standing again.

"Listen to me, Marine. I was in charge of the MP guard around this place. I heard everyone they weren't able to evacuate in time got sent underground. There's a good chance that if your kid didn't make it out with the spooks before the attack, he's stuck down in the basement with everybody else. We haven't let any of the Covies break in yet, so they should all still be safe down there."

Hawk wasn't sure what to say, so he settled for a nod. He _had_ to find Gabe alive. He had to. But in order to accomplish that, he had to make sure his team survived, and that they made it inside to the basement.

As if reading his thoughts, the MP major---not infantry, as Hawk had first surmised---sighed and said, "Gather up your three pilots, Hawk. You can use the back entrance a few feet ahead. Tell 'em Rosenthal granted you access. And for God's sake, see the medic while you're in there. You'll scare your kid when you see 'im if you're all covered in blood like that."

If he'd had any extra energy left, Willis would have grinned. Unfortunately, the effects of the blast and the pain were taking up most of that. "Thank you, sir."

"No problem, son. I hope you find what you're lookin' for."

The major turned back to the fight then, filling the air with a barrage of bullets from his SMG. "Take that, you sons a bitches!" Then he glanced back at the men who made up his security detail and shouted, "Come on, Marines! Finish 'em off!"

In the meantime, now that Hawk was more or less recovered---or at least as recovered as he would be until he found the medic---he hailed his own team. "Kilo! Move out! We're gonna get inside here and go rescue our first batch of civvies."

_And hopefully pick up Gabe in the process, too, _Captain Hawk added to himself.


	33. Chapter 32: Friends and Foes

**Chapter Thirty-Two: The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend**

**0721 Hours, January 27, 2553. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador. "The Prisoners," Planet Earth. Day Thirteen of the Fate of Humanity**

My baby had had a heartbeat once, a fast pulse for such a tiny thing. I still remembered when I'd been pregnant with Gabriel, too, and the doctor on base had shown me his image on the monitor for the first time. I remembered how excited I'd been---both times---to hear Willis's and my child's little heart flutter. Now one of them was gone for sure, and there was a very real possibility that my husband and only son were dead as well.

Save for my own Marines, I wasn't about to play nice with anyone in this room.

Even the shaken Elite was smart enough to let go of me once he saw he was outnumbered. It was the three equally sad-looking Grunts that emerged behind him that I aimed my gun at next.

"No, no, no! Please, don't shoot! Don't shoot!" the nearest Grunt cried. He hopped from one foot to the other as he spoke, then cowered as he awaited my response.

"You," I said, pointing my sidearm in his direction. "Tell me what happened here, _now_."

But instead of answering, the ex-Covie's eyes only grew wider, its voice more shrill. "No, no! I don't---!"

I lifted my arm a fraction of an inch and pulled the trigger. Three muffled reports from my silenced pistol cut the Grunt's plea short, leaving a sizable hole in its cranium and bluish blood on the wall behind him. As the creature's corpse slumped to the ground, I turned back to face the other three aliens, my weapon still drawn. "Any of you want to fuck around, you can join your friend. So is one of you finally going to tell me? Or should I keep firing?"

Before any of them could reply, I felt Sergeant Dandh gently grip my shoulder from behind.

"C'mon, Captain," he said quietly. "Give 'em a break, huh? They're freaked out enough as it is. I hate the Covies, too, ma'am, but these ones ain't our enemy anymore."

"These are not the ones who caused your child's death, human," 'Kuatee added. "Killing them serves no purpose."

I snorted and spat, "Yeah? Sure feels good though."

Turning my back on our newfound friends, I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Much as I hated to admit it, Atom and Dandh were right. No matter how many Covies I killed, no matter how hard I fought now, my family wasn't coming back. But killing allied aliens could have negative effects on the war effort if the Elites got wind of it, which was the much bigger picture here.

When I reopened my eyes and turned around again, I decided to holster my sidearm, but kept one hand resting on the grip as a precaution.

"All right, we'll do this your way," I said to the blue-armored Elite. "But you'd better start talking."

He shook his head. "Not here, human. Outside. Too many memories...too many nightmares here. We must go."

"Captain, if what you said about the timed explosives is true, I would take heed," 'Kuatee cut in.

I let out a sigh. "Right. Let's get moving, then. Foster and Bachwell, you can take care of our guests. Dandh, you lead the way."

"Yes, ma'am."

First Lieutenant Hillburn stepped in front of me as we were moving out. "Ma'am? What about checking out that room the new Elite came out of? We should see what's in there, just in case."

I mentally kicked myself for my momentary lapse---the second in the span of a few minutes. _Come on, Cooper_, I thought. _Keep it together. Just because everything's fucked up right now doesn't mean you get to skimp out on securing the area._

"Got it, El-Tee. Stick with the platoon while I go in. Lance Corporal Terrance, you're up."

"Yes, ma'am."

While Lieutenant Hillburn kept the Marines and captured ex-Covies in place, I stepped slowly into the darkened room with Terrance at my back. The place was smaller than I'd imagined, especially considering it had once housed at least four aliens for sure---possibly more. Judging by the rank smell and the bloodstains on the walls, however, it looked like it was a holding cell. Another dead Grunt lay decaying near the far wall.

"Shit, Captain," the lance corporal behind me said, covering his mouth and nose with the top of his T-shirt. "Covies ain't too friendly when it comes to maintaining POWs, huh? You think that's what happened to the Covies you found in the other room, too, ma'am?"

"No," I replied, keeping my gun's light fixed on the grime-covered corpse in the corner. "There's a difference between this thing and the dead Covies we saw earlier, Corporal. This has plasma scorches on its body and along the walls, precise holes where spiker rounds went through. The others…their insides were just a mess." I lowered my weapon then and made to exit the room. Not only was it giving me chills to be inside here, but the stench was starting to make me gag. Still, I added quietly, "Plus, a few of them actually survived."

That was usually a good indication as to whether or not they'd encountered the Flood.

When Terrance and I returned to the rest of the group, I gave the back room one last glance, then gestured to Dandh. "Move out, Sergeant. We're done here."

* * *

The rain had finally let up by the time we emerged from the hole in the ground that had led inside the bunker, but the blazing, humid heat had returned in its wake. Private Roys, our demolitions expert, was the first to greet me as I came out near the head of the formation, already trailing sweat again.

_Damn jungle weather_, I thought bitterly. _There's never any good options: you either slowly bake to death in a perpetual sauna, or you get buckets of rainwater thrown down on you for hours._

"All due respect, ma'am, but you sure cut it close. Timers have been primed and ready to go for fifteen minutes, seven seconds, Captain," the private informed me as he wiped his own sweat from his brow. "We've got less than five to split."

I nodded and, after getting the attention of the entire platoon, issued the order to get the hell out of dodge. The rest of Bravo Company was still waiting up on the ridge, far enough away from the area to get caught up in the blast, so I had first platoon haul ass to rendezvous with them.

Even double-timing it back up the hill, though, we barely managed to squeak by---just as Roys had predicted. I heard the deafening _boom_ of the explosion even as the resulting shockwave suddenly threw me to the ground.

A loud thud and a sharp pain came from the back of my head in the same instant, and the only thing I could do before the world went black was let out a sharp grunt. When I finally regained consciousness a few minutes later, I opened my eyes to find Doc Reynolds crouched over me. His face was red from the heat.

"Captain Cooper? You all right, ma'am?"

Though my head was pounding, and my healing stomach throbbing in pain, I said in a hoarse voice, "Huh? Yeah. I'm…I'm good to go, Doc."

Reynolds gave me a half-smile, no doubt glad to see I was more or less ok. "Stubborn as always, huh? You know you managed to get a slight concussion on your way down?"

"That ex…plains the headache, doesn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am. A lot of first platoon made out the same way, though." His weak grin faded. "Minor injuries all around, but at least those demo boys got the job done."

That made me sit up quick, perhaps faster than I should have with a mild head injury. "Anyone seriously hurt in the blast, Reynolds? Where's first platoon now?"

"Lieutenant Hillburn was bringing up the rear, Captain, so she got the worst of it. Dislocated shoulder and a broken rib. I took care of her first, of course, and the biofoam seems to be helping. She'll be in working order again once she rests up for a few hours."

"And the rest?"

"Made it fine and sitting up there with Lieutenant Lewis, ma'am. He's got second platoon manning the perimeter right now, and no sign of the Flood or Covenant so far."

Lifting my assault rifle as Doc Reynolds helped me to stand, I frowned. I couldn't believe the huge explosion hadn't beckoned either enemy yet, considering the chances of them being somewhere close by were definitely high. "That just means we've been unusually lucky, Doc. It's not safe for the company to stay here, even after we blew that place up. There weren't any Flood in there, but there sure as hell had been at some point---sometime recent. We need to get out of here ASAP, and I've got to get on a COM to Major Phillips."

"You'll have to talk to Lewis about that, ma'am. But before you head up there, you sure you're feeling ok?"

I turned to my friend and gave him a small smile. It was hard to crack even a tiny one these days, but he looked like he needed it. I'd learned long ago, after the beating we'd taken in the desert on Heath, how seriously he took his job as a medic. And he was a damn good one, too. "Positive, Doc. Thanks for the fix."

There was something I knew I had to do before I met up with my XO, however, and that was finding out exactly what had been going on inside the Covie bunker. Slinging my rifle across my back for the moment, since I was well within Bravo's temporary perimeter now, I rubbed my aching head and went to look for 'Kuatee.

"So? Where's your buddies, Atom?" I asked as I approached. "Thought you'd be making friends with your kin by now."

The Elite gave me an irritated look at my suggestion. "I was never in what you humans call a 'friendship' with Unggoy. They are far below my caste, and I worked with them because of duty only."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Ok, but that only covers two of the ex-Covies we rescued. What about the other Elite? Has he said anything to you yet?" _Or are they still trying my patience?_ I added to myself.

"I have not engaged the other Sangheili in conversation, but I can see by his mannerisms that he is young and ignorant in the ways of most. He appears to be what you call a 'green' replacement for one of our planetside units; this may very well be his first time in battle, and he may not yet have even earned a proper name."

"Then I guess that in your culture, you're not allowed to associate with him, either?"

"Not necessarily. If he is skilled and willing to join us, I would be his mentor in battle. I only meant to make you aware of his current state. Were he interned in that bunker by our hated enemy, he may not have taken it well in his naïve youth."

I snorted. "Experience doesn't matter much when you're captured, Atom. I think you come out messed up in the head either way."

"True. But this can be particularly hard on one who does not already know the harsh ways of the battlefield."

"Well, only one way to find out, right?"

* * *

The other Elite was standing under the careful watch of Sergeant Dandh and PFC Foster when 'Kuatee and I walked up. Taking a quick glance around, I noticed that Corporal Bachwell was several yards away as well, busy keeping the two Grunts in check.

In lieu of a salute, Dandh and Foster both gave me a slight nod and said, "Ma'am."

"Sergeant, Private," I replied. "How's our new ally doing?"

Dandh shrugged. "Seems a little lost, ma'am. Thing's just been standing there for a while now, always facing away from that bunker."

"Hasn't said a word yet, either, ma'am," Foster added.

I nodded, stealing a glance over at Atalom as I did so. "We'll see if he's got something to say now, Private. Atom, see if you can get him to open up a bit."

"Very well, Captain."

I listened for a few minutes while 'Kuatee spoke to the other Elite in their native tongue. The newcomer still appeared to have a vacant look in its eyes and a haunted expression, something I understood well after having seen how roughed up his body was. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be held captive by the Covenant---and then to be locked up in a cell while the Flood presumably went through and wiped the place clean. I hadn't had much room for sympathy lately, sure as hell not any for an alien, but it started to weigh on me a little now.

_Willis would've felt for this guy, even if he is an Elite, _I thought to myself. _Despite what they did to his brother when they'd still been part of the Covenant, he had a helluva lot of respect for them as soldiers now that they'd decided to help us. _

For a moment, I had to fight the lump in my throat for the third time today. I'd already come to terms with the fact that losing the people I loved most in this world was never going to get any easier to handle...but I hadn't come to terms with their deaths yet.

"So? What did blue alien boy have to say for himself?" I asked 'Kuatee once both had gone silent. I swallowed again to get the sudden rawness out of my voice. "I think I've been able to piece together most of what happened, but I'd like to hear it straight from the source."

"I...speak decent English, if you would like to know," the younger Elite said. "I am Boteem. Atalom 'Kuatee has convinced me that you are safe to speak to. Is that so?"

"Depends on what you've got to say. I'm Captain Cooper."

The Elite still seemed a bit hesitant when I folded my arms across my chest instead of sticking out my hand, as he'd no doubt learned that that was a proper meeting gesture in human terms, but slowly, he went on. "He tells me you wish to know what occurred in that place underground. He also tells me you wish to know of the parasite, of how and why it is here, on your species' home planet."

"My husband was on a mission to help figure out just that before he died, so yeah, I have a lot of emotional investment in this. So does the rest of humanity. What can you tell me?"

"I was part of a joint Sangheili-Unggoy scouting patrol some time ago." He glanced over at 'Kuatee for guidance. "I believe humans call this time frame 'weeks'?"

Atalom gave a slight nod, and his subordinate continued.

"Yes, it was some weeks ago. We were sent here to probe Covenant lines and give an estimate to human commanders on their numbers. The humans have been fearing large attacks on---what is this region called?---_South American_ bases for some time now, my leader said, and the local base felt this area in particular appeared to have the most enemy activity. A definite cause for alarm."

I raised an eyebrow. That sounded a lot like what command at the base in Portoviejo had been telling us while our battalion had been stationed there---it was the whole reason why we'd been transferred over from Buenos Aires in the first place. But it had never been made known to me, as a company commander and not an officer of higher rank, where exactly their concerns had stemmed from. "Did your commander mention how they knew about this?"

"Mostly foot patrols like ours, I believe. The jungle's thick canopy made aerial reconnaissance a virtual impossibility for human and Sangheili aircraft."

"All right. So what's so special here that the Covenant would want? I was stationed in the metropolis in Argentina for over a month, and there was hardly any activity there. You'd think that's where they'd want to do the most damage."

The young Elite slowly shook his head, and this time his voice lowered slightly. "With respect, you are mistaken, Captain. As your superiors have noted, large cities are far too obvious a target. Of course part of the Covenant strategy has been to weaken humanity's military structure by attacking the most populous areas heavily, but there are other points of interest for them on your planet as well."

I was starting to grow impatient. "Such as?"

"Such as the parasite, Captain."

"You know more about that than you're letting on, don't you?"

'Kuatee grunted beside me. "Boteem is an intelligence scout, human, but he is also a very young one. This was his first real assignment. He was a prisoner of the Covenant for twenty-two days, and witnessed most of his patrol team, including his commander, tortured and executed by the Jiralhanae. I am surprised he recalls this much."

Boteem glanced down at the ground, unfazed by Atom's subtle rebuke. "Part of our training, Atalom 'Kuatee, first as warriors and secondly as intelligence gatherers, are psychological defense tactics should we be captured by the enemy. It helped me resist much at first. It did not help me resist the arrival of the parasite."

I snorted. "First time's a bitch, ain't it?"

"Indeed, Captain. But once they were there, I learned much by overhearing the guards. Are you familiar with an Operation Everest?"

"I was in charge of it," I answered with a hint of surprise. "My CO directed me from base, but I was commander on the ground. What about it?" _How the hell does this kid know about that, and why the hell were the Covies talking about it?_ I wondered.

"I'm sure you're aware that that was not the first time the Covenant had encountered the parasite before. But it was their first time discovering its presence on Earth. Just as it was yours."

"So what?"

"Our guards were deeply saddened by the Prophet's death at the hands of the parasite, but not entirely surprised. They spoke of a downed ship several kilometers south of here, one that one of their own patrols had discovered days earlier. Those were the same Flood that eradicated some of our captors two weeks ago." He took a breath, his voice altering a little as the terrifying memory resurfaced. "The only reason the four of us managed to survive was because the Jiralhanae had sealed the door on us earlier."

"Holy shit." I turned for a moment and ran a hand through my hair, trying to let it all sink in. The head officers of the base in Portoviejo had known about the large Covenant force out here. They'd _known_ an attack was imminent---not a likelihood as we'd been told, but an absolute certainty.

And they hadn't said a word about it to anyone, at least not anyone lower down the chain of command than battalion level officers---and they hadn't known about the Flood.

"The human commanders...they were trying to keep this under wraps until they figured out what the Covenant were doing out here, weren't they? And the Flood attack just encouraged the Covenant to go after us sooner than planned. Caught everybody on base off-guard."

"It appears so, Captain."

That was all I needed to hear. I turned my back on the two Elites and went to find my XO.

To say the first lieutenant was surprised to see me was an understatement. "Ma'am? It's good to see you well, Captain. How are you fee---"

"Not now, Lewis. Let me have your helmet. I need to talk to Major Phillips right away."


	34. Chapter 33: Don't Kill the Messenger

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Don't Kill the Messenger**

**1042 Hours, January 27, 2553. Near the City of St. Louis, Missouri. "The Break," Planet Earth. Day Thirteen of the Fate of Humanity**

Not surprisingly, Willis and his team were stopped by an MP sergeant as soon as they walked through the door of the damaged ONI building.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this is a restricted area," the heavily armed Marine before him said. "I can't let you pass without proper authorization, Captain."

"I'm Captain William Hawk, CO of Kilo Squadron out of Denmark. Major Rosenthal sent me in this way. We're here to evacuate any remaining civilians in the city."

The guard still seemed a bit skeptical. "I'll need to get your UNSC Service Number and proper confirmation on that, sir. This facility is still under the jurisdiction of the Office of Naval Intelligence, so I have to go by the book on procedure."

Hawk was starting to get fed up with the young sergeant, who wasn't even flinching under the orders of two superior officers, but somewhere in the back of his mind he acknowledged that the kid was just doing his job. Willis had figured early on that getting access to the ONI building was going to be difficult.

"UNSC Service Number 54210-36758-WH, Sergeant. That good enough?"

"Uh…wait one, sir. I've got to get into contact with the major, and then if he gives the ok, you're free to go."

Willis tried to hold back his temper while he kept a tight clamp on his wounded arm---though the bloodflow had more or less halted, it continued to throb viciously. The only thought going through his mind right now, however, was locating his son, and if this sergeant didn't hurry up with his bullshit "procedures", Hawk was going to march right in without the guard's authorization.

Thankfully for the sergeant, the confirmation didn't take long. Pressing a hand to his ear as he spoke low into his private COM channel, the young guard soon gave Willis a nod.

"Apologies for the delay, Captain. You and your team can go inside now."

The captain gave a slight nod in return, then beckoned his three pilots to follow him. For the first time in a while, Hawk was able to give his battle rifle a rest as he slung it behind his back. He couldn't wait to see Gabe.

"Sir?" Lieutenant Brandon Heat asked as he fell into step beside Willis, while their respective co-pilots walked a little further behind. "You sure of what you're going to find here, Captain?"

Willis took a deep breath. "Yeah, El-Tee. I hope so."

So far, however, the corridors and rooms they passed weren't exactly bringing much hope to the situation. Many of the carpeted halls were torn and scorched to the point that the wooden floors beneath had been cracked and exposed, and there were a number of rooms further in that had fully spouting pipes where explosions had disrupted the plumbing system. There were even portions of the ceiling that leaked from the damaged, blown-out second story. If this was where Willis thought he'd find his kid, he knew he should brace himself for the likely outcome.

But he just couldn't bring himself to think that way. He pressed forward until he reached the stairwell that led underground and paused.

"Lieutenant, why don't you stay up here with the other two?" Willis said before turning to go down. He swallowed hard. "I'll uh...I'll come back up in a few and let you know what turns up."

Heat slapped his best friend's shoulder lightly, the one opposite Hawk's injured arm. He understood why Willis wanted to do this alone. "Sure thing, sir. Good luck."

* * *

Captain Hawk went down the stairs two at a time, already starting to feel the difference in temperature as he descended to the subterranean level. He knew the building had probably had several elevators once, but they were long gone now. Partially melted scrap metal didn't make as good a human transport as the polished, welded kind.

He was equal parts glad and irritated that security wasn't lacking down here, either. Willis was stopped by a young female ensign holding an assault rifle this time, no doubt an aide to one of the higher-ups on the staff. She looked as haggard as he felt.

"Sir? I apologize for the redundancies, but I'll need you to wait a moment while I get your Service Number and a confirmation from topside. It'll just take a second, and then I can let you through."

Though his annoyance was definitely winning out over his appreciation for the level of security by now, Hawk did as he was instructed. He was in too much pain from his arm right now, too exhausted, both physically and emotionally, to put up much of a fight at this point. And he didn't want to screw up his chances of getting let in. This could be his only shot.

True to her words, the ensign soon waved her hand at the captain. "All right, sir. I've been told to inform you that the back rooms on this floor are strictly off-limits, but my CO has agreed to grant you access to the main area. Sergeant Pearleman upstairs said you're looking for someone?"

"Uh, yeah. You know of a Ga---" Willis stopped abruptly and decided to change his approach. ONI might not remember his son, but they'd sure as hell know where one of their top scientists in the city was. "I'm looking for Doctor Lisa Cooper. Is she here?"

The ensign made a face and turned to one of the other passing staff officers. Hawk was surprised to see the man was a lieutenant colonel.

"Sir, would you happen to have the latest manifest?"

The light colonel eyed the young ensign for a moment, but eventually he acquiesced with a grunt. Shooting both Captain Hawk and the ensign a glare, he pulled a print out from his breast pocket and said, "Here, take this. I have the document on my datapad."

"Thank you, Colonel," the ensign replied, but the man had already continued on his way. She turned back to face Hawk as she began to scan the pages. "Let me see...Cooper, Cooper..."

Finally reaching the limit of his patience, Willis pulled the list from his subordinate's hands. "I'll look, Ensign."

_Come on, Mrs. Cooper. Where the hell are you? _Willis wondered. _You've got to still be here somewhere. __  
_

Willis was flipping through the names so fast he almost missed it. He backtracked through the C's and gave them a second look.

His breath caught as he read the listing. _Dr. Cooper, Lisa R. Deceased._

"No..."

This was going to kill Natalie when she found out. _But what about Gabriel?_

"For what it's worth, sir, I'm sorry. We lost a lot of people when the Covies bombed the city, a lot of good, important people. Were you close to Doctor Cooper?"

"She's my mother-in-law. She was taking care of my son when she---"

His voice gradually fell as he spoke the words, and a harsh lump started to form in his throat. This had to mean Gabriel was gone, too. _No_, Hawk thought firmly. _Not my kid.  
_

"Is your son's last name Hawk as well, Captain?" the ensign asked, quickly taking back the list and going through it.

"Yeah, Hawk. Gabriel Hawk."

"Here he is, sir."

She handed him the papers once again and showed the captain exactly where Gabe's name was. There was nothing listed beside his name.

"Your son is still alive, Captain," the ensign said quietly, confirming his interpretation of the list. "If you wait a moment, I can get in touch with my CO again. He may know more about your child's location."

"I'd appreciate it, Ensign."

"No problem, sir. Wait one."

Captain Hawk took a moment to run a hand over his short hair while the ensign consulted her commanding officer, then let out a long sigh. Gabe was alive, just like he'd always hoped and known, but now he'd found out Cooper's mother was dead---and he didn't know _where_ their son was.

_Fuck, _Willis thought to himself as he briefly shut his eyes. _Why does everything always have to be so bittersweet? Why can't I just _know_ where my kid went?_

"Captain? We've located your son, sir. He's listed on my CO's master list as having been picked up by his uncle a short while after Doctor Cooper passed away."

"His uncle?"

"Yes, sir. Commander Mark Cooper was confirmed twice upon entrance, just as you were, sir."

_Mark_, Willis thought in surprise. _That's Natalie's older brother. What's he doing here?_

"Your wife is Captain Natalie Cooper, isn't she, sir?" the ensign guessed. "The commander's sister?"

"Yeah, that's right. Can you tell me where I can find him?"

"Last time I checked in with the commander, he was in our temporary medical facility, sir. Apparently with your son. I just found this out now when I contacted my CO."

"Where's the medical facility?"

"In one of our back rooms, sir. But my CO has not granted you access to---"

But, like the lieutenant colonel, Willis was already walking away as the ensign called after him.

* * *

The door opened up to what used to be a large gymnasium, recently converted into a makeshift medical wing with cots and tables set up, where several orderlies were running around. Gabriel wasn't too difficult to spot in the chaos, however, as he was one of only a handful of children---and the only one of his age.

Hawk saw Commander Cooper, too, sitting on a plastic chair beside his son's cot. Natalie's brother glanced up when he noticed someone approaching.

Mark was startled to find who the figure was. "Willis? What are you---"

"Long story, sir," he replied. Hawk gestured to where his small boy lay. "My squadron's here to evacuate the civvies left, but I came to find him."

It was then that Hawk got his first good look at his son. Gabriel was hooked up to a series of tiny tubes, one leading from his hand to an IV drip, a couple going through his nostrils from an oxygen tank. Besides a few scratches on his arms and face, however, the boy seemed ok, and he was breathing normally as he slept. He'd gotten a lot bigger since the last time Willis had seen him.

Captain Hawk maneuvered around the cot to sit in the vacant chair opposite Mark, glad to finally be able to lean over and kiss his little son's forehead. Relief washed over him at seeing Gabe alive after weeks of constant worry, and he couldn't stop the sudden grin that spread across his face. His kid was ok, at least for now---even if he still didn't stir.

"You look the worse for wear, Captain," Mark, who'd allowed Hawk to have a quiet moment with his son, said then. "You should probably get cleaned up before Gabe sees you. He's told me a few times now that all that red stuff around here scares him."

Willis's grin faded fast, and he let out a sigh. "I know, Mark. I wanted to go get myself checked out first, but I had to come see him." When Hawk glanced up again, he asked, "So how is he? What happened to him during the bombing?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Willis. The poor kid's had it rough. No direct effects from the attack, but he was hurt when some of the unstable parts of the building suddenly collapsed. He's got a broken arm and some scratches, but he's healing up ok. I came here to be with him as soon as I could."

Hawk nodded without reply, wary of the familiar itch in the back of his throat. He took a deep breath to recompose himself. After a few minutes of silence, he decided to change the subject.

"So you're a spook, too, huh? Natalie never told me."

Mark sighed. "That's because she doesn't know." He rubbed his eyes, rimmed with red from lack of sleep, and Willis could tell how hard the last few days must have been for his brother-in-law. "Hell, not even my wife knows. She tells our girls I'm just another swabbie like all the rest."

"I'm sorry about your mom. I heard when I came here to look for Gabe."

"Yeah, thanks. She was in here, too, you know. I watched them treat her for days, but she was only getting worse. She...she just died last night."

Willis said nothing for a moment, continuing to stroke his son's hair. He was thinking of how close Gabriel had come to meeting the same fate as his grandmother. _Too close_, Hawk thought to himself with a shake of his head. _Way, way too close, kiddo. _But he supposed now he knew why the ensign hadn't been so sure of Dr. Cooper's status.

"Heard anything from my sister yet, Willis? Does she know about Mom and Gabe?"

"No. I haven't talked to her since I saw her in Ecuador three weeks ago."

"Yeah? How's she doing?"

Hawk's face went a little red. "Actually, she's pregnant. I found out while I was there."

"Oh. Well, congrats, I guess. Although, times like these..."

"Yeah, I know. Not exactly good timing. We're still happy about it, though."

Both men went quiet again. Willis kept hoping to see his son wake up, but so far the little boy seemed unaffected by all that was going on around him. He continued to sleep soundly as his father held his hand.

"I uh, I've been...going through some of Mom's stuff while I've been sitting here with Gabe. Her...files and things. At least the stuff I've got the right clearance level for." Mark paused for a moment to run a hand over his cropped hair. "I'm really not supposed to tell you this, Willis, but you're family. I think there's some information in her studies that you should take a look at."

Willis looked up from his son's sleeping form and cocked an eyebrow. "Why me? What do you think I'd do with any of it?"

Mark gave him a weak grin, but his heart wasn't really in it. "I'm a spook, Captain, remember? You told me you're here to pick up civvies in the city now, but before that, you had another job." He lowered his voice. "I know about the mission your CO gave you several weeks back. All the data you found on the Flood? Major Collins has been compiling it and sending it to my mom's staff. I haven't had a chance to look at anything more than a few correspondences so far. But I'm sure that if we go through some things while we wait for Gabe to wake up, we just might find the key to the parasite's invasion."


	35. Chapter 34: Wake Up Call

Author's Note: So...BioWare came out with an expansion pack for Dragon Age a few weeks ago, so that's my excuse for having been MIA for so long on this fic. ;) Addictions, however sad, must be fed. Anyway, I'm hoping I'll be able to update a little more regularly now even though school's started for me again. In the meantime, enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four: Wake Up Call  
**

**1634 Hours, January 30, 2553. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador. "The Dilemma," Planet Earth. Day Sixteen of the Fate of Humanity**

Sitting down on the wet earth with my back propped against a large tree trunk might not have been the most comfortable thing in the world, but it was peaceful. There was no sound in the jungle at the moment besides raindrops hitting the foliage, no motion except for the water falling from the sky. The rain had returned a day earlier, making things soggy and miserable again, but for once, I was actually grateful for it. It made it harder for anyone to notice the look on my face.

Now that the company had a moment of downtime, I sat alone with all I had left of my family: the picture of me, Gabe, and Willis that I'd managed to pull from my office when the base had been attacked, and the other of just my son. The one of my little Gabriel was the same one that had helped me make it through the rough times in Cote D'Azur almost a year ago, and the one that had been a source of hope as Willis and I fought the horrifying Flood in Austria after that.

But the images weren't as comforting as they once were. Before, I'd known that _this_ was what I was fighting for, _this_ was what awaited me at the end of all the combat. Someday, when it was all over, I'd finally get to go home to my husband and son. For good.

Except now that they were both dead, I knew this was the closest I'd ever get to being with them again. So what exactly was it that I was fighting for?

"Captain? Would you mind?"

Though I was surprised to hear the voice, I didn't let it show. I continued to sit there with my two pictures, ignoring the rain soaking through my uniform as my best friend sat down beside me.

Lewis didn't say anything at first, so I took the opportunity instead. I pointed to Willis in the photo initially, then kept my gaze fixed on Gabe.

"We would've had our sixth wedding anniversary in June, Dean." I took a deep breath. "Four days after that, it would've been our son's third birthday."

A choking sob escaped me before I could stop it, and I felt Lewis put his arm around me. I leaned into his shoulder, trying hard to get a grip on my emotions, but it took a few moments before I was able to.

"Cooper, you have no idea how sorry I am, about your unborn child and…all this, as well." He squeezed my shoulders. "But, you've got to remember, William and Gabriel's deaths, at least, are not for certain. You still have plenty to hope about, Natalie. They could both very well be still alive."

"I know, Lewis. But the Covies...they blew the city to hell. The chances of them actually having survived..." I shook my head. "It hurts too much to hope, Dean. Because if I end up finding out at the end of all this that I'm right and they really didn't make it, I don't think I'd be able to go through hearing that news a second time. It's bad enough trying to...deal with it all now."

My friend hesitated before asking the next question. "And am I correct in assuming that our new Elite friend's recent revelation hasn't helped things?"

"They knew, Dean," I answered in disgust. "They knew the Covenant were out here, and they knew they were going to attack. If command had launched a preemptive strike on the Covies, my kid would still be alive."

"I'm sure they delayed for the right reasons. You heard what the major had to say. They were waiting for the Covenant to lead us to their true cause for being here. It was a gamble, certainly, but the payoff would have been enormous had everything gone according to plan."

I pulled away from him then and stood. "What the fuck kind of gamble is worth all those lives, Lewis? My child is _dead!_ Hundreds of Marines are _dead!_ No information is worth risking an entire base for."

"Natalie," Lewis began in a soft tone, "try to think of it differently: If we hadn't done things this way, we would not have known about the Flood presence until they were already upon us. How many lives would we have lost then? The entire base would have been wiped out in a surprise Flood attack instead of a Covenant one, we'd all be mindless zombies adding to their parasite army, and the Flood would have continued about their merry way wreaking havoc on the next outpost they found." He quirked an eyebrow at me, a faint smile on his face. "Does that sound a whole lot better in your opinion?"

"No," I replied grudgingly, hesitating for a moment before sitting down again. "But my kid's still dead though, Lewis, and to me, anything that jeopardized my child's life like that isn't worth the sacrifice."

"I understand, Cooper. I truly do. If it had been my own child...well, let me just say that you're holding up remarkably well for everything you've had to endure. I'm not sure I'd be strong enough to do the same myself were I in your shoes." He smiled at me. "But that is why you are in charge and I'm not, ma'am. You're able to do what only few can."

"What? Whine about things I can't change?" I snorted. "I'm not the first to do that, Dean, and I won't be the last."

"No. Press on and do your job exceptionally well, despite the odds. It's what we admire you for, Captain. Why you've earned the respect of every single one of your Marines ten times over."

"Yes, ma'am," a third voice interjected. "The lieutenant's right, Captain. If we have to go into the bowels of a Flood-infested ship, it's only you I'd follow there."

I glanced up, squinting in the rain, to see Corporal Joshua Porter standing over us. He was holding his SMG with the barrel pointed at the ground, a huge grin on his face. Even I had to admit, it was kind of contagious.

"So that's it then, huh?" I asked my aide with a slight smile of my own. "Major Phillips finally gave us the go-ahead?"

Porter nodded. "Affirmative, ma'am. He wants us to get there ASAP, make sure the demo team rigs the insides quick before anymore of the things can get out. Then we can bail."

"Walk in the park, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Releasing a sigh, I hefted my MA5C and got to my feet. "Well, in that case, we'd better get moving." After taking one last glance at my family photo, I stuffed both pictures in my pocket and added, "Come on, Marines. The Flood awaits."

* * *

It felt eerie knowing we were going to face the parasite again. No one in my company, including myself, had come across them since the fighting in Europe, but those of us who'd been there sure as hell remembered. Never again had I wanted to encounter those disgusting, terrifying creatures. Ever.

And yet, here we were.

"Captain," Lieutenant Lewis said over the COM channel. "Major Phillips reports they've successfully evacuated the wounded at the aid station, ma'am. The rest of the battalion will be reassembling within the next few days, and then they will rendezvous with us. A second transport fleet out of the base in the capital city of Quito is due to arrive to extract us then. Orders say we need to complete our mission before they land."

"Acknowledged, El-Tee," I answered through my shirt mike. "But what about the Covenant here, the ones that took over base? Regiment is just going to let them have free reign of the area?"

"The major was only now able to re-establish contact, ma'am, and Lieutenant Colonel Davis made clear that the priority at the moment is eliminating the Flood presence, not the Covenant. The colonel wishes us to regroup with the rest of the 603rd Regiment in Quito before they plan a counterstrike op to retake Portoviejo."

I sighed in frustration. Were the higher-ups really that dense? "But we're already _here_. We can take the Covenant now, while we're still on the ground, without having to drop back into enemy territory later."

"Negative, ma'am. I presented a similar point to Major Phillips, and he explained that though he'd thought we could attempt such a thing at first, we simply do not have the numbers, Captain. Besides our 102nd Battalion, only about three companies' worth of Marines and staff from various units survived, and they're mostly scattered by now. We are not in a position to begin a counteroffensive without considerable support, ma'am."

"Shit." I held my soaked rifle tighter across my middle and glanced down at the mud caked on my boots. "All right, then, let's get this over with. Cooper out."

I cut the connection then and started stepping over the forest growth to get second platoon organized. I'd be marching in with them at the head of Bravo Company, with Lewis bringing up the rear with third, and first platoon in the middle. I hoped to hell we wouldn't see the Flood before we reached the ship.

"Ma'am? Are you sure we're ready for this?"

When I looked over at First Lieutenant Casey Frederick, standing just off to the side of me, his face was washed out from anxiety. I gave the slightly younger officer a firm pat on the shoulder. "We've faced them before, El-Tee. They're nasty sons a bitches, but in the end, one good shotgun pump to the stomach is all it takes. We'll make it through ok."

"Yes, ma'am."

_God, it's about time I started believing what I say, _I thought.

I keyed my mike again to address the whole company. "Marines, this is it. Second platoon will be moving in first, and once we secure the area, first and third will follow. Lieutenant Hillburn, wait for my signal."

"Got it, Captain."

"Good. Then second platoon, you're on me."

* * *

_Why do I get the feeling this is going to be easier said than done? _I wondered to myself a few minutes later.

I could see flashes of sunlight glinting off metal in the distance---a big, huge metal something, and that something was what I assumed to be the downed Covenant ship Boteem had told us about. The one where the Flood seemed to have come from. I was suddenly grateful that Willis had come for a quick visit a few weeks back, and not just for obvious reasons---since he was likely to be dead now, the information he'd had on the parasite would have been lost with him if he hadn't let me know of the downed ship he'd discovered in Holland. After hearing what both Willis and Boteem had had to say, it didn't feel like a coincidence that these ships were starting to appear all around the globe---and the implications of that sent chills down my spine.

But speculating wasn't part of my job. Mine was eliminating that threat, no matter where it came from or what its purpose was.

That's why I was soaked to the bone with rainwater and ankle-deep in sticky mud right now, leading my Marines straight into a nightmare.

"Stay alert, second platoon," I whispered through my mike as I gingerly stepped through the wet foliage, MA5C at the ready. "Remember that the Flood can pop up anywhere at anytime. Watch your HUDs if you've still got a helmet, and keep an eye on your six."

A small acknowledgment light winked green several times on my mike, so I kept moving with the rest of the platoon trailing behind. Closer to me were Boteem and 'Kuatee, with my aide, Corporal Porter, to the side; a quick glance to my left made it clear that the younger Elite was trying hard to contain his fear. In that moment, he seemed less alien and more like Lieutenant Frederick in that respect.

"Do not be frightened, Boteem," 'Kuatee said to him. "Many of these humans have encountered the parasite before and lived. We are unlikely to be taken over."

"Yeah, unless they fucking swarm us, right?" second platoon's leader replied from further back. "Then we're all dead or worse."

I immediately turned around and shot him a glare, even though I knew he probably couldn't see me through the thick vegetation. "Stow it, Lieutenant. That's an order."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, Captain."

Truth was, we were all scared. I had yet to meet a single being, human or alien, who wasn't terrified by the Flood and what those creatures could do. But it usually wasn't good for morale to spread that fear around.

Still, I felt my own pulse spike when I heard it.

"Everyone halt, now!" I whispered fiercely into my mike. Then, going down on one knee as I swept my rifle from side to side, trying in vain to look through the tangled mess of jungle vines, I strained my ears to listen.

The grotesque warbling sound continued.

The entire platoon crouched motionless in the rainforest, struggling to see or hear signs of the enemy's approach over the normal patter of light rain and other organic jungle noises. In the meantime, I unconsciously held my breath for a moment as I felt rivulets of sweat begin to slide down my face and back. _Come on, you bastards, _I thought to myself. _If we're going to do this, just show yourselves already._

So they did.

"Captain!" Sergeant Hynes, bringing up the rear guard for second platoon, suddenly shouted into the COM channel. "They're attacking us from behind!"

"Take 'em out, Sergeant, fast!" I ordered.

And then we could no longer hear the warbling between the trees, because dozens of automatic weapons opened up at the same time.

Turning instinctively to the sounds of the guns, I didn't even notice for a second that more Flood Infection forms were bounding our way now as well. The sick little balloon poppers I hadn't seen since three months ago moved fast, seemingly swimming through the air, and my heart started pounding so hard I could've sworn it was going to beat right out of my chest.

I quickly took aim at things and pulled the trigger, spraying them with tens of shredder rounds in seconds. But, just like that day on the snowy mountain ridge in Austria, the more I cut down to ribbon-like confetti, the more extras seemed to show up, appearing from behind leaves and trees and bushes at such a rate that we couldn't possibly keep up. Even with the platoon's two portable thirty cal machine guns, which I could hear going off somewhere to my rear, things were going to get rough. Always true to their name, the Flood simply kept coming.

With such a large wave of the creatures jumping towards us, I spent my clip in less than half a minute and bent my head to reload. I fumbled trying to pull another clip from my cargo pockets, since the ones in my cartridge pouch on my web belt had long been depleted_---_and all the while, I could hear 'Kuatee, Boteem, and Porter firing their own weapons beside me. The noise enveloped my ears until I couldn't even think.

But I'd been soldiering for so many years now, I didn't have to in order to perform the simple task. I slapped the new magazine home, cocked my assault rifle, and jumped right back into the fray in no time. It looked like more of the poppers had appeared, but I held my trigger finger down as I'd done before and watched each one burst in quick succession. Bullet after bullet, the things were getting ripped apart...but more were always close behind.

"Fire in the hole!" I shouted, finally fed up. I yanked off a frag grenade that hung from the top of my chest armor, pulled the pin, and tossed it into the oncoming wave of parasitic spores. Water and mud and torn foliage leaped into the air from the detonation a few seconds later, but I didn't stop there. I sprayed the rest of my clip into the chaos, not wanting to get caught off guard by surviving Flood creatures, and only then did I pause to key my mike again.

"Hynes! Report!"

"There's a lot of 'em, Captain, but we're starting to get things under control back here!" Sergeant Hynes answered through the COM. "Wherever they're coming from, it looks like there's less of 'em coming at us now."

I glanced over at 'Kuatee and Boteem, who also looked relieved at the news. On our end, the never-ending influx of Infection forms was gradually slowing, too.

With my MA5C depleted of ammo now, I quickly pulled out my pistol and fired two shots at one of the last spores to jump at us. It went down in a cream-colored burst of flesh, just like the others.

Yet still, I didn't breathe a sigh of relief. The task we had ahead of us was far from over, and I knew this was only a taste of what my company was likely to find inside the corrupted Covenant ship.

After wiping the moisture from my face, I turned to First Lieutenant Frederick as I holstered my sidearm. "Platoon status, El-Tee?"

I watched him take a deep breath and run a hand over his wet blond hair. The poor kid was easily the Marine most spooked by the parasite.

"Gunny Dreiss reports three WIA, ma'am. Four others were..." Frederick swallowed. "Four had to be shot, Captain. They got stabbed in the spine by the little bastards; no way to keep 'em from becoming one of them."

"Jesus." Glancing away for a moment, I released sigh before addressing the company. "Ok, Bravo, listen up. First platoon, you're free to move up, but watch your step. We don't have any way of knowing if there's more Flood around, and the probability is high. Third, you follow in behind while keeping our six secure. And second platoon, we get the ugly task of going ahead of the others again. Let's move."

I didn't want to lose anymore men to the parasite today---and my only hope now was that I could somehow prevent that from happening.


	36. Chapter 35: The Ties That Bind

Author's Note: Not gonna lie, the first part of this chapter was a little difficult for me to write. I have a clear vision of where I want this to go, but I'm not sure if I conveyed it properly in this case.

I'm going somewhat with canon on the whole Flood thing, excluding my AU settings and dates and all that. Thus, I didn't really feel the need to do a full-on exposition on how/why the Flood are on Earth, because I think it's been sufficiently hinted at in many of the previous chapters (especially Ch. 17), and I'm sure most Halo fans know about the Portal/Ark in Africa and everything already. If, however, you feel this chapter is like wtf out there, let me know and I'll edit it to provide some additional clarification. Remember, though, that I'm only loosely following canon, as my story is AU-ish in many ways. And, of course, more of this plotline will be developed as the fic continues, as well; some things have been left out only for the moment to be touched upon later.

Also, just as far as my characters go, I left the "how" part of Flood taking over the ships in space purposely ambiguous because none of my characters can possibly know about Dr. Halsey's research/the Halos/what the Spartans discovered. Very technically the Flood were first encountered (by humans) on the initial Halo ring John-117 and the Pillar of Autumn landed on, but I'm going on the assumption that the general populace, be it military or civilian, don't know anything or know very little about this. So that's why Operation Everest has suddenly become so important in this installment of my series.

Anyway, all that said, I hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Ties That Bind  
**

**0354 Hours, January 30, 2553. Near the City of St. Louis, Missouri. "The Bust," Planet Earth. Day Sixteen of the Fate of Humanity**

They'd been at this for three days now, and only now had everything finally come together.

Analyzing large banks of data between two people was no easy task, but Mark Cooper was experienced. His work with ONI, besides the standard field ops and the parts he couldn't talk about, had involved generous amounts of looking over, interpreting, and filing documents such as military reports, figures, and CSVs for the Office of Naval Intelligence. Now, he scanned through a number of research notes, lab reports, and firsthand accounts from the field---all on the parasite---with practiced ease.

Some of the latter, he noted, were his sister's, from humanity's first contact with the Flood during Operation Everest---those had been the easiest to find, as Natalie's after-action reports had been frequently flagged by their mother. Others were from higher-ups who hadn't encountered the parasite personally, but had done the same sort of analysis and intelligence-gathering that Mark was doing now. One of these was his brother-in-law's CO, Major Erin Collins. Because of Hawk's direct involvement in the mission Mark's younger sister had headed, Collins's reports were often more complete than the others'.

But what really struck Commander Cooper was how much effort ONI had quietly put into figuring out the source of this parasitic invasion. His mother hadn't been the only top scientist to look into the issue, not by a longshot. Sixteen of the greatest minds worldwide, along with their respective teams of assistants, had poured through samples and data and evidence and experiments and reports on the Flood. Not all of it, of course, was accessible to Mark, even with his relatively high clearance level, but he was able to at least tap into most of his mother's notes and findings, and that had provided enough information for him and Willis to get a _very_ good idea of what was going on.

Now drained of energy, however, the two men found they couldn't even celebrate their monumental accomplishment.

Setting down his datapad at last, Willis let out a long sigh as he rubbed his eyes. "Jesus, man. You spooks do a lot more work than anyone gives you credit for."

Mark grinned. "See? No one likes to trust us, but fact is, without our information cache, this entire war would've been lost years ago."

"You have to show this stuff to your CO today, Mark. I can't believe these ships...these parasite ships are everywhere. There's tens of tiny little pockets where those Flood bastards managed to land."

_I was right about them_, Hawk thought to himself. _I knew the second I flew over that diseased ship in Holland that something just wasn't right. They _were_ trying to land invading ships dirtside. To infect all of us.  
_

Mark ran a hand over his face. "Yeah. But at least now we know where their central hub is, and what the Covies are after. We'll have to get the local Marine units to destroy all the scattered Flood-infested ships the bastards took over from the Covenant in space, the ones that are crashed in the specific areas we identified. Then, we've immediately got to start planning an op with the Elites to take out the parasite's collective in Kenya."

Willis thought about that for a minute before he replied, "I guess that means we're all going to Africa soon, then?"

"Yes."

"Holy shit."

The captain couldn't quite believe all they'd been able to piece together in just a short amount of time. With their help, the rest of humanity would soon know the location of what could possibly be the very last battle of the Human-Covenant War.

Hawk and his brother-in-law tried to go inform the ONI building's acting commander right away of their discovery, but the man was nowhere to be found. Instead, they were assured by an aide that he would be available in a few hours, and that in the meantime, the two men should get some sleep.

* * *

"Captain Hawk, sir?"

Willis jerked awake, startled by the voice, but it was more the smell that forced him to open his eyes. The aroma coming from the steaming cup of coffee under his nose was more than his caffeine-deprived body could handle. Going on just three hours of sleep after finishing up research with Mark on his mother's files, Hawk figured he could definitely use an artificial boost to his alertness this morning.

"Thank you, Ensign," he said to the aide as he took the cup. Before he took a sip, though, he glanced up to see that it was the same aide who'd told him where Gabe was a few days earlier.

"You're welcome, sir," she replied. Then, giving him a small smile, she added, "And don't worry. Commander Cooper has vouched for you, so you won't be getting a summons anytime soon for unlawfully bypassing our security. However, my CO would like to see both of you at your earliest convenience, Captain."

Willis took a drink of the hot liquid, already beginning to feel invigorated by it. Slowly, the muddled haze of sleep dissipated and his mind started to work again. "He wants to talk about the commander's findings, I'm guessing?"

The ensign shrugged. "Didn't say anything to me, sir. You'll have to find out when you get there."

"Got it. Carry on then, Ensign."

"Sir!" The young woman saluted and left.

Once she was gone, Hawk straightened himself in his chair, having slumped over it in sleep, and took another generous drink of coffee. He checked his watch after rubbing his burning eyes, then glanced over to the cot beside him to see that his little boy was still asleep. Twice during the night, Gabriel had woken up crying from the pain in his arm, and an orderly had had to come over to give him another dose of pain medication. It had been a hard thing for Willis to watch, but he took comfort knowing that at least his son's injuries were on the mend.

The captain took a deep breath and sighed, taking a moment to collect himself. He knew he'd have to gather up his squadron soon and direct them all to evacuate the civvies they'd rescued. He'd kept in near-constant contact with them the past few days, so he had a good idea of where they were and how long getting everything together would take. He also knew that the longer they all stayed here, the greater their chances of getting trapped inside the devastated city would become. They had to return to Denmark with the civvies soon, preferably today.

And somehow, in the middle of all that, he was supposed to take care of Gabe, too.

_Never a dull moment when you're in charge,_ Hawk thought to himself.

"Daddy?"

Though he certainly hadn't expected his son to awaken quite yet, Willis leaned forward in his chair and gave his little boy a weak grin. "Hey, buddy. How're you feeling?"

Gabe let out a yawn and snuggled against his father's arm before answering. "Ok."

Willis's grin slowly grew wider. "That's good, kiddo. I'm glad."

For a moment, Hawk thought things were fine. His son's arm, though still in a cast, was apparently causing him little pain now because of the meds, and Gabe was also trying to fall back asleep now that Willis had lent him his good arm for comfort. It was only a minute later that the captain realized that his son wasn't sleeping, but sniffling. When Willis moved his arm from beneath Gabe's face, he saw the tear streaks all over his uniform sleeve.

"Hey, hey. What's all this about, huh?" Willis asked as he gently pulled his son up from the cot. "Why're you crying all of a sudden?"

Gabriel looked up at him with his mother's fierce green eyes, and Hawk understood.

"I m-miss Mommy," Gabe said in a small voice. "I like it better when you and Mommy are bof home, so I don't have to miss you."

Though Gabriel's injuries made it difficult, Willis leaned in closer and carefully wrapped his son in a hug. "It's ok, Gabe. I miss your mom, too. But you know what? I bet she misses you even more."

Gabe sniffed into his father's chest. "Really?"

"Really. And you know what else?"

"What?"

"She loves you so much, kiddo, just like I do. I know she'll be back as soon as she can to see you - and maybe this time we can all be together like we were last summer, remember?"

Willis felt another tear moisten his shirt. "Yeah. But what about now, Daddy? Grandma say we don't got a house no more."

Hawk sighed, glad that his son hadn't had to witness the slow deterioration of Cooper's mom like her brother had. Willis was sure his son had seen enough already, just from having been indirectly injured by the bombings and having to live in an underground bunker for days. He wasn't even sure that Gabe quite understood the fact that his grandmother was gone forever yet.

"That's ok, too, kiddo. Daddy's going to take you to a new house, one far away from this one. And there it'll be just me and you, little buddy, until your mom gets back. That sound good?"

Gabe pulled away from his father for a moment to look up at him. "What about Uncle Mark?"

"Uncle Mark's got work to do, Gabe, like your mom. I'm going to have to leave for work sometimes, too. But we'll always be back for you, son, don't worry."

_Or at least that's what the hope is_, Willis thought to himself. _We will always do everything we can to get back to you, Gabe. But sometimes trying isn't enough._

Gabriel was still clinging to his father's shirt when Natalie's brother walked into the room. Gabe and Willis both glanced up, but the little boy didn't let go of his dad. Instead, he rested his head on Hawk's shoulder to see what was going on.

"Hi, Uncle Mark_."_

Though his expression had looked grim as he'd approached, Commander Cooper grinned back at his nephew. "Hey, Gabe. How's it going?"

"Ok," Gabriel answered again.

Mark nodded before giving Willis a look. "Mind if I borrow your dad for a minute?"

"You're not going to take him 'way?"

"Nope. Me and your dad are just going to go outside for a sec. He'll be back soon, kiddo."

Gabriel's grip tightened around Willis's neck for a moment. Hawk hugged his son back and kissed his hair before letting go of him.

"No..." Gabe whined, his bright green eyes glistening with tears again.

"It's ok, buddy. I'll be right back. Promise."

Once Willis was able to convince Gabe to stay put without making a scene, he and Cooper's brother stepped out of the makeshift medical wing and into the hallway.

"That kid thinks the world of you, you know," Mark said as they walked. "When you had to head out to contact your squadron the other day, he wouldn't stop talking about how excited he was to have you here."

Willis couldn't help but grin to himself. "Yeah. But I think Mom's still number one in his mind. He misses Natalie a lot." His smile quickly faded. "Last night when his arm was hurting him pretty bad, he started crying for her."

"Poor kid. You have any idea when my sister might be back?"

Captain Hawk shook his head. "None. I don't see anyone getting leave anytime soon, even if she can't really fight right now."

They reached the commander's office shortly. After getting cleared by two MP lieutenants at the door, they were finally let in.

"Sir!"

Both men saluted and stood at perfect attention in front of the senior ONI officer's desk. The older man looked them over once before speaking.

"At ease, boys. Cooper, I want to hear what you've found in your mother's files in a second, and I'll ask Captain Hawk here to step out for that." He released a sigh. "Unfortunately, though, first I've got some bad news for the two of you."

_Oh, no._ Hawk felt like a crushing weight had just been driven into his chest. He knew exactly what the older man was going to say.

"Sir, what---" Mark tried to interject, but the ONI commander silenced him.

"I don't have any specific details yet for either of you, so I apologize in advance for the lack of information. But I've just been notified that a couple of weeks ago, the area around Portoviejo in Ecuador was attacked and overrun by the Covenant, including the base." He paused, feeling for both of the stunned officers standing before him. "And, according to early estimates, it appears that very few were able to make it out alive."


	37. Chapter 36: Keep Your Friends Close

Author's Note: I have no excuse for the horribly long delay this time except college in general, and finals. Curse you, evil cumulative exams! The good news, however, is that I am now just two weeks away from the end of the school year, so new updates will be coming out a lot faster after that. :)

Anyway, as always, hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Six: Keep Your Friends Close, And Your Enemies Closer  
**

**1954 Hours, January 30, 2553. Near the City of Portoviejo, Ecuador. "The Collision," Planet Earth. Day Sixteen of the Fate of Humanity**

With almost six years of combat under my belt now, I could say with confidence that my first deployment had been the hardest by far. I was just twenty years old and a newly minted officer, had never seen combat, never led any sort of Marine contingent in a real fight, and was newly married and already separated from my husband. Attending the Naval Academy on Reach had been my first time away from my home planet of Mars in years, but I hadn't felt homesick at all because I was with Willis. He was already my family even back then, and I knew as long as we stuck together, we'd be ok. But then came graduation, and orders to ship out just three weeks later. I didn't see Willis for almost two and a half years once our respective units left Reach. At the time, they'd been the most miserable twenty-eight months of my life.

Things had gotten better for a while once we'd finally been reunited, though. By some crazy miracle Willis's squadron had nearly run out of fuel close to the base where I was stationed, and so they'd had to make a short and unexpected overnight stay. With that, Gabriel was conceived, and, at least up until the first few weeks of his life, I had a little someone just as important to be with while Willis was away.

But when I had to leave Gabe behind once I was back on active duty again, I learned what it truly felt like to miss someone. I missed Willis like crazy when we weren't together; being away from Gabe was like a stab in the heart. I didn't ever forget, even in the midst of the fiercest firefight, about my little boy back home, and the single thing I always wished for the most was more time with my son.

I was having a hard time now imaging a whole future without them...if humanity was even going to get one. Adding to that the loss of my baby, I decided that this had rapidly become my new hardest deployment.

And it was only about to get tougher.

"I've checked all the ship's diagnostics, Captain," Second Lieutenant Jake Takashi, our electronics expert from second platoon, said. He handed my datapad back to me as he ran a hand through his thick black hair. "The Flood were smart and took over the ship's main engine core first, blocking all access routes to it along the way. If we want in to get it rigged, we're gonna need either a damn good hacking AI or some serious demolitions and firepower."

"Damn."

"Ma'am, if you want I could - "

"Wait one, Lieutenant. Let me check something real quick."

Like Willis's parents, I'd studied engineering back at the Academy, and my specialization had been ship engines. If I hadn't chosen to join the Marines and gone to school somewhere else, I would've probably been living a comfortable life working at a shipyard by now. Seeing as the job would have probably been on Reach, however, my family and I would be nothing but rubble since the Covies had glassed it. Maybe I'd lucked out after all.

Either way, I knew I'd never trade being in the Corps for anything - it was part of my identity, part of who I was. And now, it was all I had left.

"You were off on your figures, El-Tee," I said with a creeping grin once I'd finished looking over his work. "I found the loop in our hole."

Takashi looked down at the datapad, then back at me. "Ma'am?"

I pointed to the single minuscule flash of green on the screen. "One backdoor access point is still left, Lieutenant. The Flood wouldn't've sealed the engine core off completely, because they'd need a way to get in and out if they were ever planning on flying this thing again." Earth would have run out of hosts at some point, even with all the humans and Covies currently on it, and so the next stop for the parasite's quest for more bodies would have likely been space. "Problem is we'd only be able to squeeze half a squad or so through that hatch - the rest of us would have to be security from the outside, and there's no telling how many Flood might be on the other side."

"So...who's going in, Captain?"

"You, Jake. I'm going to need another officer to lead the group in case something happens to me, and a second expert. You're both, so you're it."

The young replacement officer swallowed. "Yes, ma'am."

Before deciding on the remainder of the roster, I glanced up to see where second platoon's commander was and waved him over.

"Ma'am?" First Lieutenant Frederick said as he jogged up.

"Get a channel open to the XO, Lieutenant. Let him know what's going on." I ran a quick hand through my hair and sighed. "If this plan doesn't end up working out, you're going to have to try again with a second team. We don't have enough ordnance to destroy the ship without detonating its core."

"Understood, Captain."

"Good. Then once you're done, we have to get moving."

* * *

It was warm inside the ship, warmer than I would have expected. Outside the jungle was perpetually hot and humid, not surprisingly, but in here I'd figured the ship's climate systems would have kept the temperature fairly average. Either the ship was more damaged than we'd thought...or the Flood had purposely made it this way.

_Dammit, just how smart are these things? _I wondered, keeping my rifle leveled as I walked through the large corridors with second platoon. _That's twice now that a Flood-infested structure we've entered has been warmer than usual. _The exception had been the Covies' underground bunker, where we'd rescued Boteem, but we hadn't actually found any Flood there. Remnants and evidence of the parasite's impromptu visit had been everywhere, but there'd been no sign of any active, living Flood creatures. I slowly took in a deep breath and let it out.

The last time I'd faced the Flood, I'd had a little more courage knowing that Willis would always have my six. Now, we were all on our own.

"Check your corners, second platoon," I heard Lieutenant Frederick say over the COM channel. "We know the bastards are in here somewhere, so don't let the quiet fool you."

"This is not good," Boteem, who'd been silent for most of the trek to the ship, said. "The parasite should have attacked by now."

I snorted. "Don't be so sure, alien boy. They're probably just trying to lure us in." _Because they don't know that that's part of _our_ plan_, I thought.

We were only a couple hundred meters from the first hatch at this point, and those of us who'd fought the Flood before knew that the creatures were a patient bunch. One of the most frightening things about the parasite was that you never knew where they'd pop out of next; and whether the things were cognizant of this fact and exploited it well, or simply operated that way naturally, it worked on the psyche like nothing else. I could always rationalize their behavior and my reaction to it in my head - but I could never control the way my breathing quickened and my pulse beat fast nonetheless.

Knowing what they were capable of and having seen it firsthand was terrifying. Not knowing when or where they'd show up could drive you insane.

I was concentrating so hard on scrutinizing each angle of the hallway that I didn't even register hearing my own breath hitch. As soon as I heard the faint, familiar high-pitched noises coming through the bulkheads, it felt like everything else was simply wiped from my brain.

"Be ready, Marines," I radioed through my shirt mike. "They're coming."

A few seconds after I'd spoken the words, one of the nearby vents beside me started to groan. I quickly ordered the Marines closest to it to fix their weapons on the spot to get rid of as many of the Flood forms at the start as possible - but once those vents burst under the unrelenting pressure of tens of Infection Forms, there was no taking them out fast enough.

I took aim and squeezed the trigger of my assault rifle fast, joining the other half-dozen guns that had also started to unload on the things. The large corridor suddenly became a chaotic mess, with Marines firing and backpedaling at the same time, trying to take out as many of the little parasitic bastards as they could while getting the hell out of the creatures' way. If there was one thing most of us had learned from our last run-in with the Flood, it was to never get too close. One lapse, one mistake, one small opening - that was all it would take to turn you into a mindless vessel of destruction.

"Keep up the fire, second platoon, and spread out as much as you can!" I shouted just as my first clip ran out. Quickly taking a step back to eject the spent magazine, I grabbed a fresh one from the cargo pocket of my uniform pants and slapped it home. By the time my weapon was cocked and ready to go again, the next wave of balloon tentacles were already bounding my way. _Thank God I decided to pick up an assault rifle this time,_ I thought as I sent a rapid-fire hail of bullets at the equally quick little monsters. _The last thing I'd need in a situation like this is a slow weapon. _

I'd learned that lesson - albeit the hard way - a few months ago when I'd gone into Operation Everest with a battle rifle. More often than not, it had been Willis's expert use of his SMG that had saved my ass when we'd fought off Infection Forms. Luckily, though, I'd been able to return the favor with my shotgun once the bigger beasts had hit.

While second platoon and I tried desperately to keep our heads above water as more and more of the Flood creatures emerged from the nearby vents, I felt my heart rate spike when I heard a sudden loud pounding behind us. We were about to get cornered and surrounded, even more so than we already were.

The realization sent ice-cold chills down my spine.

"Captain, we must break free of this hallway," 'Kuatee said urgently. The SpecOps Elite paused for a moment to reactivate his plasma sword and slash four oncoming Infection Forms, all in one motion, before turning back to me. "It is wider than most, but there are too many of the parasites. If we do not reach a larger room to stem their flow, they will overwhelm us."

Two drops of sweat slid down from my forehead as I nodded, momentarily stinging my eyes. It was only then that I noticed just how hot the corridor was and how hard I was breathing. I shut my eyes tight against the sting for a second while Marines continued to fire and maneuver around me, and suddenly the room felt like it was spinning. When my eyes opened again, I could feel myself breathing even harder, and no matter how many times I blinked, my vision was still dotted with specks of black.

"No!" Atom growled.

Seeing what was happening, the ex-Covie grabbed me by the sides of my torso armor and slammed my back into the bulkhead before I could pass out on the floor. At first all I felt was an intense shock of pain go through my upper body, and so I let out a harsh grunt and grit my teeth, now seeing stars for an entirely different reason.

But once my vision - and head - had cleared, I realized it had done the trick. I was still conscious.

"You will not take the easy way out, human," the Elite said, still gripping the edges of my armor while I regained my balance. "Your warriors need you here, to lead them, and you will see this through."

"Christ, Atom," I managed to rasp out in reply, exasperated and still slightly dazed. When I'd recovered enough, I loosened my white-knuckle grip on my MA5C a bit and reached for my shirt mike with my other hand. "I don't know if this is how...Elites treat their own, but...humans aren't nearly as indestructible...as you seem to think, alien boy. Next time, try not to...disintegrate my spine while you're trying to save me. The armor plating only goes so far."

"Had you lost consciousness, Captain, the beasts would have taken your mind. It would have been nearly impossible to defend your limp body against them all." 'Kuatee turned away for a moment. "You would have been too easy a target, and there are too many for us to fight as it is. Now make haste."

Though I was still fairly convinced that Atom had an ongoing plot to see me dead, I decided to drop it for now and returned my attention to the continuing skirmish. I keyed my mike and said, "Second platoon, we've got to haul ass into the next chamber or we're going to be this week's newest abominations." As if to prove my point, I had to stop to let loose another burst of lead, turning a dozen of the closest Infection Forms into flesh-colored confetti. "Take it one squad at a time, and continue firing to keep the little bastards at bay. They'll keep coming, but we'll be able to beat them back once we've got more room. Now move it, Marines!"

As soon as I'd issued the order, I glanced ahead to see the squad up at point slowly begin to disengage. In the meantime, I kept firing at the now-busted ventilation shaft along with half of second platoon's first squad, trying hard to clear out the Infection Forms as fast as they were coming in. When I finally got the chance I was hoping for, I didn't waste any time; I quickly pulled a frag grenade from my web belt, ran up close to the open shaft, and tossed it in.

"Everyone hit the deck!"

I dropped to the ground fast, an automatic reflex after years of somehow always ending up way too close to primed explosives, and covered my unprotected head with my arms - also bare of anything but the short sleeves of my T-shirt beneath my chest armor. Still, I figured scratching up an arm or two was preferable to getting pieces of shrapnel stuck in my skull.

The grenade went off after a few seconds' delay, and despite having thrown it deep inside the vents, I still felt the deck of the ship shudder under me. The blast blew me back several feet and I collided with one of the protruding structures on the side of the bulkhead, arms now wrapped around my aching middle and ears buzzing like mad. Eventually the pain started to fade into the background as I continued to lay there, attempting to reorient my senses, but the ringing in my ears never stopped. I figured out why once I reopened my eyes.

Coming from further down the hall now were Combat Flood forms, and the remaining Marines around me were firing their automatic weapons over my head to take them out.

Before I got a chance to stand up myself, I suddenly felt a pair of hands grab onto my shoulders and half-drag, half-haul me up and out of the way of the incoming Flood.

"Sorry about the rough handling, ma'am, but we've gotta make sure our commander stays in one piece."

"Porter?"

"Yes, ma'am. Think you can stand now, Captain?"

"Yeah, Corporal, of course."

Though a part of me was grateful that my aide had pulled me out of a potentially hairy crossfire situation, I was pissed that he'd done so while taking me completely out of the fight. He hadn't just moved me out of the way - as I looked around, I noticed that he'd brought me into the main chamber where the rest of second platoon had retreated. That meant first squad was all on its own out in the corridor.

"Second platoon!" I shouted before getting up. "Let's get some suppressive fire for first squad, as well as you can without hitting any friendlies. Lieutenant Frederick!"

"Yes, ma'am!" I could hear grotesque warbles and gunfire going off through the open COM channel; the platoon leader was still in the hallway with first squad.

"I want a sitrep right now, El-Tee. Are we anywhere near plugging up that leak, or do we need more explosives?"

"Negative, Captain! Situation's still hectic, but we're clearing 'em out, ma'am. Just dealing with a few more stragglers. That grenade to the vent shaft definitely gave these nightmare creatures something to think about."

Though I knew things were far from over, for the first time in a while, I allowed myself a small grin. "Glad to hear it, El-Tee. Keep at it - the rest of second platoon's got your six. After that, be sure to get into the main chamber quick. We've got a ways to go to get to the engineering hatch."

"Understood, Captain."

Satisfied with the knowledge that this initial skirmish, at least, was winding down, I let out a deep breath and finally started to stand again. It was as I was maneuvering to get back on my own two feet that I suddenly felt my knees buckle and my body instinctively cave around my abdomen. I had to bite my lower lip hard to keep from letting out a cry of pain. I didn't know what was wrong or what was happening until I looked down at the hand I'd wrapped around my belly.

Corporal Porter noticed it at the same time; he glanced down at his uniform, only to see small splotches of red on his pants. "Captain, you're bleeding."

Keeping my gaze on the arm at my midsection, I definitely realized that now.

The blood was spilling through my fingers there at an alarming rate, but by now I was starting to get too light-headed to care. With quite a bit of lethargy I glanced around for a moment, already feeling a little disoriented and lost, before fixing my attention on the red liquid seeping out steadily from beneath my torso armor. My blood had already soaked clear through the bottom of my T-shirt and the top of the waistband of my jungle fatigues.

It was coming from where I'd been sliced open with a plasma sword, the same wound that the doctors in the makeshift aid station had only barely been able to close, the wound that had killed my unborn child. The frag grenade that had just gone off beside me in the hallway had reopened the deep gash.

I'd just been too pumped full with adrenaline a minute ago to feel it.


	38. Chapter 37: Obligations 1

Author's Note: As seems to happen every so often in this fic, this was originally slated to be one chapter. I eventually decided to split it up into two parts, though, because as I was writing it kept feeling like I was trying to cram too much into it (which is why it's been taking so long to write). Hopefully this can tide you over till Part Two - the second half will be coming at you from overseas, since I'm off to the homeland next week. :)

Hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Obligations, Part One**

"Hey! Somebody get a medic, now! The captain's hit!"

As my body started going into shock, I watched my aide come behind me as soon as he saw the fresh bloodstains on his uniform. Neither of us had realized while he'd dragged me out of the line of fire a moment ago that my stomach wound had reopened...until now.

I only half-felt it when Corporal Joshua Porter slipped his arms beneath my own and propped my back up against his knees, trying to hold me up to keep me conscious as long as possible. My vision was coming in and out now, and I wasn't able to make out much more than a few shouts and frantic movements.

The most overwhelming sound at the moment, besides the loud and abnormally fast thumping of my heartbeat, was a labored heaving noise. My mental state being far removed from reality by now, it took me about a minute to realize it was my own heavy breathing. I was hyperventilating.

"Oh, God," I heard a voice say from far away. Funny, because the young blond-haired man's face was suddenly right in front of me: First Lieutenant Casey Frederick, second platoon's leader. "Was she…was she tapped by the Flood?"

"No, sir!" Corporal Porter yelled beside my ear. "We need to get Doc, sir, right away. The grenade blast…her stomach…She's going to bleed out, El-Tee."

"Fuck," Frederick replied quietly. Then he turned and shouted, "Medic, front and center! Second platoon, keep the Flood out of the area while we take care of the captain. First squad, you stay put at the entryway, and the rest of you, form a perimeter around the chamber, now!"

More frantic movement ensued, more loud sounds. Gunfire. Bellowed orders.

My eyelids were getting heavy now. I felt so tired that even the excruciating burning sensation coming from my midsection was beginning to be overtaken by shear exhaustion. My body was giving up on me.

And for the first time, I didn't have much in the way of reasons to keep that from happening. Willis and Gabe and our unborn child were all gone. My Marines were the only family I had left - the one hundred-plus Marines of Bravo Company, the men I'd led and lived with and bled with and watched over since we'd gone through the hell in Cote D'Azur known as the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV. Maybe it was my time to let go, too. I'd managed to live through so many situations already that I should have logically been killed in, situations others hadn't been fortunate enough to survive. It was time for my luck to run dry and grace someone else now.

"Captain? Captain Cooper? Can you hear me, ma'am?"

Someone was still hanging onto my arms from behind, continuing to hold me up. It didn't matter who it was anymore. I struggled to keep my eyes open a crack, if only to see whose face it was before me now. Petty Officer Michael Reynolds, the attractive blue-eyed medic who'd been by my side since Heath. There were only a handful of us now in Bravo Company who were part of the group that had once been under Captain Kingston's command. So many good Marines, good people, lost along the way.

I hated that I'd have to die in front of my good friend. He was too talented a medic to have me bleed out under his care.

"She's not responding," the Marine behind me said. I felt my body get shuffled a bit in his grasp so he could lean over to see my face. "Is she…?"

"She's still alive, Porter," Reynolds answered hastily. His voice sounded tense and strained. "But she won't be for much longer if we don't hurry."

Carefully but quickly, the medic pulled my blood-drenched arm away from my stomach and applied pressure with a thick, wide pad of gauze from his pack instead.

"Dammit," he muttered. "It's soaking through too fast. Lieutenant Frederick, sir!"

"What do you need, Doc? We've got more Flood heading this way!"

"I need another hand to keep pressure on her wound while I try to stop the flow. She needs biofoam, sir, or she'll die right here, and I can't insert it without letting go of the gauze."

"Got it, Reynolds. Private Jonah!"

"Sir!"

"Get to the medic now, Marine! We are _not_ letting Captain Cooper die on our watch! Is that understood, Private?"

"Yes, sir!"

By the time the private arrived seconds later, my eyes had already closed. I felt in some ways as though I'd blacked out, but somewhere in the back of my mind, the pressure on my middle and the pain of the open wound were still there. I couldn't hear the medic's or Marines' voices anymore, couldn't hear any of the sounds that had been overwhelming my ears earlier, but I still felt the pain.

A moment later I stopped hearing the rapid thud of my pulse and my erratic breathing.

And after that, a blissful loss of sensation…then silence.

* * *

The first thing that hit me once I started to regain consciousness was the smell. Stale Flood juice, sweat, and copper - definitely not the most pleasant scents in the world. Before I was even able to open my eyes again, I felt someone turn me onto my side and I threw up.

The person that spoke next didn't sound disturbed in the slightest. "How are you feeling, Captain?"

That's when I noticed that the harsh pain I'd had before was virtually gone. _Does that mean I'm dead?_ I wondered. _If I am, no one sure as hell ever told me I'd be puking in heaven. _

Just as I was trying to lie back down on my back, I felt sick again. I turned right back around with the help of the voice and vomited a second time. When I was done, I was breathing hard and sweating.

"This is the shittiest afterlife I've ever encountered," I managed to mumble, using the little energy I had left to lay my arm across my still-closed eyes. The copper smell intensified. "You can tell whatever deity owns this place that it leaves much to be desired."

A faint, though relieved, chuckle sounded close to me. "Your husband was right about you never being in a good mood when you first wake up. Think you're ready to answer my question yet, ma'am? I need to know if the morphine's kicked in."

_Willis_. My heart clenched as I remembered the horrible news I'd received just ten days ago. It felt like a lot longer since then.

"Captain?"

I let out a sigh as I brought my arm down from my face and finally opened my eyes. The room I was in was thankfully dimly lit, so there were no bright lights to shock me back into the land of the living this time. "I guess…" Now that I was more fully awake, I realized just how low and scratchy my voice really was. "I guess this means I'm still alive?"

The figure before me, who I now recognized as Doc Reynolds, nodded. "Your fate was definitely up in the air until about a minute ago, ma'am, but yes. And judging by the look on your face, it seems like the morphine is doing its job just fine."

I groaned despite being grateful for the utter lack of feeling. "Does this mean I'm not allowed to do anything?"

Reynolds shrugged. "I don't see why not, as long as you take it easy."

"_You_ letting me move after taking a nasty hit? Now I know I'm in another dimension."

"That's because you didn't let me finish," he replied. "Despite what I just said, it was tough getting that wound closed again, Captain. Only a part of it actually reopened, but you bled _a lot_."

He showed me the old bandages that had been wrapped around the wound before the grenade had gone off; they were now drenched in front with dark red. The medic had been reapplying a clean set around my abdomen each day since I'd been stabbed, and my blood had gone straight through those before finally seeping past portions of my clothing.

That would explain why I felt so weak and sick and light-headed at the moment.

"Anyway, you're chock full of biofoam now, ma'am, and I wrapped some fresh bandages around your stomach. Just remember that if your wound were ever to reopen fully, you'd need a trained surgeon to get it closed, Captain. Even then, chances are you'd be bleeding too much for anyone to be able to do anything for you. So…keep that in mind if you decide to take charge again right away."

"I get it, try not to die."

"I'm serious, Captain."

"So am I, Reynolds," I replied as I tried to sit up. Besides the feeling of slight discomfort it was fairly easy to do, though I knew it was only because of the strong painkillers currently pumping through my veins.

Propping myself up by leaning my hands on the ground behind me, I was finally able to take a look around. Reynolds and I were alone in a small room, except for a private standing guard by the doorway. I noticed, too, that my MA5C was lying beside me, and my torso armor had also been removed and placed next to the gun, along with my web belt. When I looked down at myself, I saw that much of the bottom half of my dark green T-shirt was caked in dried blood, as was the top portion of my battledress trousers. After seeing that and the bloodied bandages, it was clear that the medic wasn't kidding.

"Well, you know the routine by now, Doc," I said, lifting up my T-shirt for a second to take a look. The new bandages underneath were only slightly red at this point, so I took that as a good sign and pulled my shirt back down. "How long was I out, where's second platoon, and how are they faring?"

The petty officer raised an eyebrow at me before answering tersely, "Two hours, outside, and fine, ma'am. Don't you want to know how long you have till the morphine wears off, at least?"

I gave him a pat on the shoulder as I reached over to grab the remainder of my equipment. "I'm sure I'll figure it out when the pain hits, Reynolds."

It took me a few tries and a lot of help, from both Doc Reynolds and the private standing watch in case the Flood showed up, but eventually I was able to more or less stand. Even then, I had to have the medic gingerly replace my chest armor and web belt before I was able to try out having the weight of a rifle back in my hands.

"Well, Captain? You doing ok so far?"

I felt some of the sweat on my forehead roll down my face, but I nodded. "Yeah, Doc. Come on, we should get moving. Major Phillips'll be expecting a report soon, and we'll have to be topside for that. The sooner we get the hell out of here, the better."

In the meantime, the report I received from Lieutenant Frederick upon my miraculous return wasn't all that great. Reynolds hadn't exactly lied to me when he'd said second platoon was fine, as we hadn't lost any men since the skirmish in the jungle outside the ship, but things weren't quite peachy, either.

"We've been getting attacked by the Flood at random intervals ever since you took the hit, ma'am," the young platoon leader explained. "We had a huge bunch come at us just after you'd thrown that grenade in the vent. Came outta nowhere, and you were dying, and..."

"Take a deep breath, El-Tee."

"Sorry, Captain. Suffice it to say...we're still not even close to making it to that open hatch you highlighted."

I sighed. "That just means we'll have to move that much more quickly. Sergeant Hynes?" I called through the platoon channel.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You're up at point with 'Kuatee. He's more familiar with Covie ship structures than I am, and he'll direct you through the correct route to engineering."

"Understood, Captain."

I turned back to Lieutenant Frederick as I cut the connection. "We all ready to go now, Casey?"

"Affirmative, ma'am."

"Good. Then in that case, let's move out."

* * *

Going through the hallways after that was difficult. Most of the corridors, like the ship itself, had been damaged when the formerly Covenant craft had hit dirt, and now there were randomly strewn supply boxes and gaping holes and coolant leaks across every deck. It was almost like maneuvering the obstacle courses I remembered from basic training on Reach, though of course this time there was much more at stake than whether or not I got a passing grade.

A little over an hour and several hairy Flood encounters later, second platoon and I finally reached the lower deck, where the sole route to engineering was located. I was drenched in sweat and starting to hurt badly from my wound by then, but I wasn't in any position to back out of being part of the team that was going to go through the hatch.

I was just going to have to forge forward without the aid of morphine for now if I wanted my mind to stay sharp. This was going to be it.

"Who will you bring inside, Captain?" 'Kuatee asked, coming up to stand beside me with his deactivated plasma sword in hand. "If you are in need of my assistance, I am ready to provide it."

I had to think quickly; the longer we took to get the ship rigged, the more time the Flood would have to come out of the ship's bowels and overwhelm us. Between Lieutenant Takashi, 'Kuatee, and myself, I had three team members already. That only left space for two more – they'd act as our guards while Takashi and I set things up. "Sergeant Hynes and Private Jonah, you're coming with us. I'm going to need a couple of riflemen to watch the hatches once we get inside. 'Kuatee, I'll take you in on this, too."

"As you wish," the Elite replied.

The rest answered with acknowledgment lights and movement, though the first Marine to approach me wasn't one of the ones I'd picked. It was Lieutenant Frederick.

"Captain...I probably don't need to be asking you this, but…how long should the rest of us wait out here?"

I shot a quick glance at Takashi, who already had the figures on hand on his datapad. He held up ten fingers twice.

"If we're not back in twenty, El-Tee, make sure you get second platoon topside to regroup before trying with another team. Whatever Flood are in there will already be alerted to a human presence at that point, and it'd be very easy for them to take out the next group as well. Going topside for a bit might give you a chance to let them to disperse instead."

Though his face looked whiter than ever at my orders, Frederick slowly nodded. "Understood, ma'am."

As I turned away from him, I wondered briefly how it was that I'd gotten so used to speaking of my own potential death that calmly. I wasn't sure what to think of that.

Thankfully at the moment, though, there wasn't a whole lot of time to dwell on anything. We had to move.


	39. Chapter 38: Obligations 2

Author's Note: I has internets! Finally, lol. It's also been in the hundreds with 90 percent humidity here where I live in Italy, so I feel like I can relate to Cooper's trek through the rainforest a little better now. I consider the current weather story research. :P Anyway, I've been busy cooking up the next few chapters while I was internet-less, so expect a few quick updates as reward for your patience. Hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Obligations, Part Two**

It felt like a long time since I'd led anything other than a company, minus the occasional patrol, but the small group I had with me now amounted to only a single fireteam – what we'd frequently used only in the initial phases of leadership training at the Academy. That fact made it seem like the task we had ahead of us was going to be easy, when in reality, I knew it was going to be even trickier than leading my usual three platoons of Marines into combat.

Sighing painfully with one hand on my rifle and the other pressed against my stomach, I looked at the three men and sole Elite surrounding me and gestured towards the hatch. "Come on, we'd better get a move on."

Once again, as we all squeezed into the small space one at a time, 'Kuatee was up at point, followed by Sergeant Hynes, myself, and Private Jonah, with Lieutenant Takashi taking up the rear. While I was momentarily sandwiched between two of my subordinates in what felt like a dark ventilation shaft, I tried to focus on keeping my breathing steady. If it turned out there was even one Flood infection form here with us by the time we got to the next room, we were incredibly fucked.

"Orders, Captain?" Sergeant Hynes turned to ask me as he held his submachine gun tight to his chest. He was lucky he had a relatively compact weapon; Hynes was a big guy, so he had to keep his body folded against the bulkheads and the deck to fit.

That's how badly caved in this last stretch to the engineering room was. Fire-blackened purple bins had been thrown every which way, the lights were apparently malfunctioning, and half the ceiling had collapsed.

But it was the only way forward.

I bit my bottom lip as I cradled my own gun, ignoring how the cramped space was forcing me into a scrunched position as well – one that was killing my stomach. I was slim so I had no problem keeping my MA5C comfortably against me, despite the weapon's bulk, but my height was making it a tight fit.

"Ok, Atom, I think we've all had enough of this," I said. "Try to go a little faster."

I was grateful that Atalom said nothing but finally started to move. I could've only lasted so much longer with my knees jammed to my chest armor.

"Ma'am? Orders?" Hynes repeated.

"Follow the Elite, Sarge," I answered. "Right now we've got to focus on getting out of this hallway and into a larger space. Engineering should be just beyond that."

With a little pushing and shoving of barrels and sheared metal slabs on 'Kuatee's part, we slowly made it through the worst part of the rubble – thankfully without getting literally blindsided by the Flood. Yet the toughest part of the job still lay in the room up ahead, and now that we had a clearer path, we had to hurry.

"Keeping a timer, Lieutenant?" I asked Takashi, turning back for a moment to hear the answer.

"Yes, ma'am. We're down to sixteen minutes, Captain."

_Jesus_. We were going to be very screwed if we didn't start rigging the ship soon.

So of course that was when the Flood showed up…with some party favors of their own.

I heard the Brute shot round shoot out of a crumbled section of deck up above us and scrambled frantically, like the rest of my small team, for the cover nearby. My ears started ringing the second the grenade burst, though I'd pressed my back hastily against a couple of the heavier overturned bins so that, at the very least, the huge cut in my stomach would remain sealed.

Still, it didn't help matters any that three Flood forms dropped through the hole as quickly as the explosive had gone off, bringing a caravan of spores in behind them as an entourage.

"Take them out fast, Marines!" I yelled, popping up out of my cover to fire a rapid burst at the tentacle balloon things. "We've got to get to the core!"

While I was busy providing covering fire for the two riflemen, trying to eliminate as many Infection forms as possible before they got close, I was able to see 'Kuatee from out of the corner of my eye. Just as the third and final Brute Flood form fell in from the top deck, the Elite brought his plasma sword to life in a flash and slashed upwards. Gravity did the rest. The parasitic creature – which, by a stroke of luck, also happened to be the one holding the Brute shot – was instantly cut in half, simply by completing its jump.

As usual, I kept finding new reasons to admire Atom's skill in combat.

"Captain! One of those things is coming up on the left!"

Turning my assault rifle quickly to the side, I pulled the trigger and watched as a half-dozen Infection forms got torn to fleshy ribbons just a few feet in front of me. Then I took aim at the larger threat also attempting to leap into our midst – another former Covie Combat form. The warbling mass of distorted, decaying flesh got a head start on the attack by coming down with its appendages swinging, the Brute spiker it had wielded only a second ago clattering uselessly to the deck as the Flood beast discarded it.

I quickly ducked back behind my cover in an instant, trying in any way I could to avoid getting hit by the thing's powerful would-be arms. But before the creature could go for a second - and possibly more successful - attempt at bashing my head in, I brought my rifle to bear again fast and fired.

It was horrifying to watch as bullet after bullet impacted the nightmare thing's warped body, but I didn't dare let go of the trigger. At first it seemed to spasm from the lightning-quick rate of the incoming rounds, bucking and taking the hits while still continuing to try to get at me somehow.

Even as my clip rapidly emptied into its torso point-blank, however, the Flood being's arms swung wildly around, searching for contact. The tendrils of its left appendage finally caught me on the side of my head, but luckily dished out little damage other than throwing my aim off a bit; by now, the beast was being driven back by the bullets too quickly to have much force behind the blow. Just as the magazine was finally spent, the thing let out one final agonized moan and dropped to the deck, splattering sickly yellow Flood juice onto the empty bins and debris around me.

Before I was even able to heave a sigh of relief from having finished the Combat form off, I found myself forced to immediately bound over the other side of the row of overturned metal barrels to keep from getting crushed by the last parasitic monster. While I regained my footing and reloaded my weapon, 'Kuatee was busy slicing off the beast's limbs as the rest of the team pumped lead into its midsection. The final beast fell seconds later in a pool of mangled flesh and more fetid yellow liquid. I was only able to get in a short burst before it hit the ground with a wet smack.

With the unexpected skirmish over and weapons finally silent, I could now hear how labored my breathing was.

Part of it was from the familiar feeling of panic and terror, that ice-cold fear that overwhelmed your entire being whenever you had to fight off a wave of Flood, no matter how large or small. I knew the rest, however, was due to my wound – the pain from executing swift movements was so sharp I saw black spots suddenly wash across my vision. I glanced down at my boots then and shut my eyes for a second to clear my sight.

Lieutenant Takashi's hand was on my shoulder when I looked up. "Ma'am? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, El-Tee," I replied, thankful that my breathing was starting to return to normal now. "Forget about it and let's just hurry. We don't have time to waste."

* * *

The clock was ticking fast, so it was gratifying to get through the next short hallway and single room that led to the engine core without another fight. It hadn't quite been simple getting the busted and dented airlock door to engineering open, but between the five of us, we were able to muster up enough strength to employ a leveraging technique using the scattered debris.

And fortunately, it did the trick. We were in.

"Ok, Marines, this is it," I said as we stepped in, weapons at the ready. After doing a quick visual sweep of the area and finding nothing, I lowered my gun and turned my focus to our riflemen. "Hynes and Jonah, you know what to do. I want one of you facing that door to the outside at all times, and the other facing in. That way we'll be ready for any possible threat. Takashi, you're with me at the main console. And Atom…you're going to show us where that main console is."

Atalom made a low growl at my order, but he began striding towards a large lit-up panel on the other side anyway. He knew of the time constraint same as we did, and whether he wanted to follow my command or not, it was his life that was forfeit too if we didn't make it out in time.

"This is the central control point for the engines, Captain," 'Kuatee said once we'd approached. "I can translate symbols for you as you work if that is what you require, but we will have to move quickly."

"Right." I took a second to sling my assault rifle behind my back, then had Takashi come and stand beside me while the Elite looked over our shoulders. I glanced at the lieutenant first. "Jake, start unpacking our explosives now. Plant each one as close to core as you can, but keep a couple to place at the two secondary consoles. Hopefully this thing," I said, indicating the main console, "will take care of itself if I can rig it right."

I took in a deep breath as 'Kuatee initiated the process by illuminating the translucent, faintly colored screen – at least it was still functioning. _God, I really, really wish I could've had a drink or three before attempting this,_ I thought to myself as I tried to quell my nerves. The first thing I was going to do if we ever made it out of this ship in one piece and back on a base was get totally and completely hammered. But for now, that fantasy would have to wait.

Using the translation skills Atom had to offer, we were able to get through the first few sequences fairly easily. The trouble now was going to be coordinating the detonation of the engine room with the smaller explosives Lieutenant Takashi was setting up.

The plan was to remote-detonate the explosives once I was able to get second platoon out of here and a safe distance away, so in order for that to work, we were going to have to link up our ordnance to the main console to ensure it would all blow at the same time. Otherwise, we risked the explosives going off without the engines, which would barely damage this single room when what we wanted to take out was the whole ship, or we'd risk having the core go off alone and envelop us all in a premature blast. Neither was what I was hoping for.

An AI could've done the whole job without risk of life or human error in less than a microsecond. But since we had only ourselves to do this all the way through, it took several minutes of painstaking work and calculations. I keyed in numbers and codes as fast as 'Kuatee translated and as fast as I could crunch numbers with the help of my datapad, praying they were all correct and that my two years of accelerated studies at the Academy had served me well. When I was finally finished, Takashi was back by my side and our explosives were rigged. I checked my watch.

Eight minutes had passed. That meant we had one more to do a quick once-over on the demolitions and calculations, and then we'd have five to get back to where the rest of second platoon awaited.

Those five minutes still weren't going to be enough, however, so I made the decision to have Takashi only check to make sure the console was rigged properly. We simply didn't have the time to look over the whole system, so I had to choose the most important and complex component and trust Takashi's electronics skills in setting up our explosives. Those extra thirty seconds to get out might be what saved us.

With everything set up, I sighed and said, "All right, Lieutenant. You've got one shot to double-check the work, then we're hightailing it out of here. Understood?"

The young second lieutenant was already hard at work, nervous sweat rolling down his face from the top of his forehead. "Got it, Captain."

* * *

Five minutes and twenty seconds later, my team and I were finally able to link back up with the rest of second platoon. Less than two hours after that, we were home free – out of the Flood-infested Covenant ship and back with the rest of Bravo Company a safe distance away. I met up with my XO first, who'd kept a tight perimeter around the area while I'd been inside with second platoon, and broke into a wide, relieved grin.

"We did it, Lewis," I said, walking towards him with my weapon slung on one shoulder. "It was a hell of a nightmare to be in there with those things and trying to get through narrow spaces to boot, but we made it, buddy."

First Lieutenant Lewis cracked a smile in return. "You've no idea how relieved I am to hear that, ma'am. I've most certainly had my fill of those bloody beasts, and I don't fancy seeing them ever again."

Though I knew that was a longshot, my grin still widened in light of our momentary respite. "Same here, Dean. I'm ready to start the fireworks so we can focus on hooking back up with Battalion and finally get evaced out of this place."

After being assured for a third time by the company's demo experts that Bravo was well outside the blast radius, I nodded over to Second Lieutenant Takashi and said, "Let 'er rip, El-Tee."

He smiled faintly. "Yes, ma'am. Here goes nothing."

When Takashi pressed the activating button on his datapad, I tensed as I waited for the sonic boom and wave of heat to wash over our position. The Marines around us were absolutely still as well, waiting, watching, bracing themselves for the blast that was sure to come.

Except nothing happened.

"Oh, no…" I heard the second lieutenant moan a minute later. "Captain, I don't…I don't know what happened, but…_shit_. That ship isn't blowing up!"

For a second after I'd straightened, I just stared at him. The news didn't want to make it past my ears and into my brain. We'd just spent hours inside a ship crawling with Flood, risking not only our lives but our_selves_, trapped in small corridors and rooms with the ever-looming threat of being attacked by the parasite, for nothing.

A cold feeling of dread went through my spine as I realized we'd have to do it all over again. The Flood vessel couldn't remain here as an infested outpost that would continue to threaten humanity and only grow in size once the next Covenant or UNSC patrol came along. We _had_ to take out that ship…and we'd screwed up.

Swallowing hard, I had an equally dumbstruck Lieutenant Lewis hand me his helmet so I could hail Major Phillips.

"Sir, this is Captain Cooper. I've got a sitrep for you, Major."

Our battalion commander answered amid a cacophony of gunfire in the background. "It's about damn time, Cooper! What's the status of the Flood ship?"

"Sir…We've secured the area, sir, but when we went inside the ship to rig it, something went wrong. We got everything hooked up, but when we got outside and tried to detonate, our ordnance didn't go off."

"_Dammit_."

I winced. After a moment's frustrated silence, I finally heard Phillips sigh.

"Shit. That's Murphy's Law for you, I guess. But I did get the feeling this wasn't going to be such a straightforward task." The major paused as a burst of weapons' fire – presumably his own - encompassed the COM channel for a second before his voice returned. His tone was somber now. "Captain, since your demolitions malfunctioned, we're going to have to go to our contingency plan."

"Sir?"

"I don't want the entire company left exposed again, Cooper. But with that said, there's only one way to set off those explosives and detonate that ship, and that's manually."

"What are your orders then, sir?"

"Pick two men to send in there alone, Natalie. Ask for volunteers first. There won't be any remote-detonation this time – they'll just have to do it there on the spot. We're sending in two so that in case one gets hit, the other can still have a chance. But I'm not risking any more Marines. Is all of that clear, Captain?"

I took in an unsteady breath as I realized the implications of what he was ordering me to do. I had to make sure I'd heard right. "Yes, sir. I have to send two of my men…on a suicide mission. I have to send them in to die."

"I don't like this any more than you do, Cooper, but we have no choice. We need that ship gone, and we needed it gone hours ago. This is the only way to do it without putting your entire company at risk."

_Sacrificing the few for the many, in other words_, I thought ruefully. _As if one person's life were more important than another's. _But I understood the sentiment well – minimizing casualties through the sacrifice of a few was something every officer learned in training, and something none escaped in practical use in the field. That didn't mean that each such decision I'd ever had to make didn't still tear at me, though.

Still, I was able to keep my composure long enough to solemnly repeat, "Yes, sir."

And then I had an idea.

It had been my responsibility to oversee the rigging of the ship – and besides that, I'd been in the room and helped out myself. I also had nothing to lose and nothing to go back home to anymore. My own family was gone, but I could still do something, perform one last helpful act, for my Marine family. And avoid having to choose one Marine to send to his or her death in the process. It all sounded like a fair trade to me, so I chose to go for it.

"Captain Cooper? Still there?"

"I'm here, Major," I answered. Then I took a deep breath and said, "I volunteer, sir."


	40. Chapter 39: Duty

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Duty**

There was silence over the COM channel for a long time after I spoke. I didn't even hear the sound of gunfire or explosions in the background. Then, eventually, my battalion commander's authoritative voice returned.

"No, Cooper."

Before he could say anything else, I quickly replied, "Sir, I know what you're think - "

"I said no, Captain. That's an order." He paused. "I realize things have been difficult for you as of late, Cooper, and I'm truly sorry for all the great personal loss you've had to endure recently. But I can't allow any company commander of mine to voluntarily forfeit their life. The one thing humanity can't afford to lose right now are competent and experienced leaders – they're a dying and dwindling breed and we need each one we can get. I won't accept anyone at the rank of second lieutenant or above for the task."

"I don't…" I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and tried again, frustrated. "I'm not looking for a quick exit because of what happened to my family, sir. I just don't want to have to send two of my men in there knowing full well they won't make it back. I used to have everything to live for, but now I just…" I had to swallow a second time. "I don't know what I'm going to do or what I'm going back to if this war ends. Being in the Corps is all I have now, sir. And this is the best way I know to honor it."

"The best way for you to honor your uniform, Captain, is to keep doing what you're doing, for as long as you can." He let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, making these tough decisions is a part of that. I expect you to radio me back with the names of the two Marines you chose in three minutes, Cooper. Phillips out."

I felt at a momentary loss as soon as my battalion commander cut the connection. How was I even going to begin going about this? And how could I ignore the sick feeling in my stomach at what the major had said – that officers were safe from getting picked simply because of their rank? In a purely pragmatic sense, I understood the why, but in the human sense, the logic left me feeling disgusted. I'd never felt my own life was worth more than a private's just because I'd received a different form of training.

I sighed as I pulled off my XO's helmet. There wasn't time to dwell on this any longer, and it was probably best to just get it over with anyway.

"Well, Captain? What are your orders?" Lewis asked when he saw that the conversation was over. Lucky for him, he wouldn't've been able to hear any of it since I'd been wearing the helmet.

I shook my head at him and handed his piece of equipment back. "Here, Dean. I've got an unpleasant task to attend to before I can give you anything."

He cocked an equally concerned and confused eyebrow at me, but then nodded. "Very well, ma'am."

I was grateful for the space as I keyed my shirt mike to open a company-wide channel. I sucked in one last breath and began. "Bravo, this is Captain Cooper. As you may have noticed, our operation to destroy the infested Covenant ship has failed, and leaving the vessel intact is not an option. So I'm going to need two volunteers to go back inside and manually detonate our explosives." Shutting my eyes for a moment as I heaved another sigh, I continued, "It's a one-way trip, Marines. Consider carefully. Though if no one volunteers in the next two minutes, I'll have to choose two myself. Hail me when you're ready."

I wasn't at all surprised at the absolute silence over the radio. When I glanced up I saw Lieutenant Lewis give me a sympathetic look as he finally understood what I meant about the unpleasant task, but I couldn't stand his pity-filled expression so I stared down at my combat boots instead. The two minutes were almost up before I saw four acknowledgment lights finally wink green.

Pulling out my datapad, I was able to determine who they were. Staff Sergeant Samantha Austin from third platoon, Private First Class Kenyon Roys from first, Second Lieutenant Jake Takashi from second, and Sergeant Trevor Dandh. I swallowed hard.

"I want the four volunteers at my position now," I said stiffly into my mike. "Double-time it."

The four arrived shortly with varying expressions on their faces as they approached. I hadn't expected to have a small pool of Marines to choose from, so now that I did, I had to be sure to get the right ones for the job. That meant someone with a bit of experience and authority to keep the mission on track – which, of course, meant one of the sergeants since Takashi was automatically eliminated – and someone who knew about demolitions. I feared I already knew the young PFC was a shoe-in for the latter.

What I was truly interested in was each one's motivations for volunteering, but there wasn't time for that now. Instead I looked them over and spoke. "Thank you all for volunteering. You're doing this company and humanity a great service, and you can be assured that your sacrifice won't be in vain. And it won't be forgotten, either. I'll be personally giving the two I select the highest possible commendation for the task when we get out of this." If_ we get out of this_, I amended to myself. I glanced over at Takashi then. "Step aside, Lieutenant. I'm not going to be choosing you."

Much to my surprise, the young officer protested. "Ma'am, with all due respect, this mistake was mine. I didn't secure our explosives as thoroughly as I should have, and I don't want someone else to die for something I did. I meant it when I volunteered, Captain."

"I realize that, Lieutenant, but I'm working under the major's orders on this one. No officers."

Takashi's eyes momentarily widened, but he said nothing as he eventually sighed and took a few steps away from the others. "Understood, Captain."

I then turned to the remaining three, knowing this was going to be one of the toughest choices I'd ever have to make. "Private Roys, we'll need someone with your expertise on this team. You're in."

The nineteen-year-old nodded once with the stoicism of someone much older, and with the amount of poise I wouldn't have expected from a Marine so young. He'd always been a good, obedient soldier ever since Bravo Company had picked him up as a replacement after the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV, but I'd never seen this side of him before. My respect for him went up tenfold.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. Then he cracked an odd-looking half-smile. "Explosives have always been my thing, Captain. I'll get it done."

Swallowing on the harsh lump in my throat now, I finally turned to the last two. When I looked at the staff sergeant, however, she suddenly caved and started shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I'm sorry. I can't do this. I've got a kid at home. I thought I could, but…I'm sorry, Captain."

My mouth was dry all of a sudden as I nodded mechanically. That left only Sergeant Dandh.

"I guess it's you then, Sergeant. Stay here a minute along with the private. The rest of you are dismissed."

Since they weren't allowed to give me a salute in the battlefield, Lieutenant Takashi and Staff Sergeant Austin each gave me a nod instead, then went off to return to their respective platoons.

Now I had to briefly explain the set-up to PFC Roys and Sergeant Dandh, and make sure they knew exactly what is was they were supposed to do. I was able to keep my voice steady and my emotions locked down throughout, but not without effort. Then I walked them to the edge of the small clearing, where the closest entrance to the Flood-infested ship was, and came to a halt.

"Well, boys, this is it." I stuck out my hand in turn to both of them and shook theirs. "Kenyon, you're one helluva brave and talented kid, Private. And Dandh…" I forced myself to grin briefly, but it was a sad one. "We had our disagreements in the past, but I've appreciated your loyalty since then. You sure knew how to break in a stubborn lieutenant new to first platoon." I took a breath as I stepped back, concentrating hard now on keeping up a coolheaded appearance. "It's been a pleasure and an honor serving with both of you. Good luck, Marines, and semper fi."

The two stood solemn and composed as they replied with feeling, "Oorah, Captain!"

Then, just as they turned to go, Sergeant Dandh suddenly looked back at me and said, "See, Captain? You said it was going to take a while to get rid of you, ma'am – and based on what I've seen of you since Heath, I don't doubt that for a second. So I decided to cut loose first while I could." He flashed me an amused grin before sobering. "I hope you make it back home safe someday, and find your family's still doin' good, too, ma'am. You deserve it."

I couldn't stop my eyes from beginning to water then, but I was able to keep the tears from falling. I mustered another smile of my own, even though all I really wanted to do right then was anything but. "Thank you, Trevor."

And with that, the sergeant gave me one final nod of acknowledgment, and the two most courageous Marines I'd ever known marched dutifully across the clearing before disappearing into the ship. I turned around soon after, wiping my eyes on the short sleeve of my shirt, and gripped my rifle tighter as I made my way back to my company's lines.

Aided by the highlighted maps and precise routes I'd given them, I knew the two wouldn't take long to accomplish their mission. Once I'd returned to where First Lieutenant Lewis was watching Bravo, I held it together as I announced the names to Major Phillips. Then, still from a safe distance away, we waited.

There was little delay this time, just as I'd predicted. Fifty-five minutes after the two Marines had gone in, a resounding boom erupted from the direction of the clearing, followed by another and then another. Four titanic explosions total marked their deaths, though I'd never really know if they'd both been still alive by the time they'd reached engineering, or who'd flipped the proverbial switch. I guess it didn't really matter.

I took in an unsteady breath as I watched a huge column of smoke rise into the air several hundred klicks away. Then, to keep the sudden wave of emotion from overwhelming me, I grabbed Lewis's helmet out of his white-knuckle grip and hailed Major Phillips again.

"Sir, this is Captain Cooper. Mission accomplished."

* * *

Cutting through the remaining band of Covenant's lines after that to link back up with Battalion proved arduous - it was five days before Bravo Company was finally able to reach the designated rendezvous point. Only then could we rest up a little; the Pelicans from the base in Quito, where apparently the rest of the 603rd Regiment was currently gathered, were to arrive in a few hours.

I sat for a moment slightly removed from the others and watched as exhausted Marines ate, talked, or tried to nap under huge fronds of the hot jungle's thick vegetation. I'd only eaten a couple of energy bars in the last hundred hours or so myself, and I hadn't been able to sleep much, either, even when we'd had the downtime. The sheer enormity of what had happened in the last couple weeks – and what was about to happen – was already beginning to weigh me down.

It wouldn't be long now until we were back on a base, not far from the frontlines but isolated enough that we'd be relatively safe and out of the way. And while I should have been overjoyed about that, that was actually what worried me.

For at least a few days, I was going to have all the time in the world to think, without the constant interruptions of skirmishes and attacks and Marines to supervise to occupy my mind. In some ways, I dreaded that right now even more than I dreaded seeing the Flood again. I'd escaped the parasite before a number of times now, but I couldn't escape the thoughts in my own head, and those were not something I wanted to deal with anytime soon.

So, I figured I'd be spending most of my time facedown at the bar of the O-Club instead.

"Hey, Cooper. I've been looking for you."

I glanced up, squinting against the small stream of sunshine filtering through the canopy high up above, to see a familiar face standing over me. Though it hadn't been his fault he'd had to break the news of my miscarriage to me fifteen days ago, I couldn't help but feel a little wary around him now.

"Why? What did you need, Hayden?" I asked.

My best friend shrugged, continuing to stand. "Just wanted to see how you were doing with everything. Dean told me what happened to uh…a couple of your Marines, too."

I snorted in an instant. "Did someone make you my therapist all of a sudden, Oliver?"

"Nope. This is just me looking out for my own." He smiled faintly. "Plus you're the fraternizer, remember. Somebody's gotta keep you out of trouble and on the right path."

A small smirk formed across my face, but it only lasted long enough for me to give Captain Oliver Hayden a dull smack against his leg armor. "I've mentioned I hate you before, haven't I?"

"More times than I can count, though not always in those exact words." He folded his arms across his chest. "It's impressive, really. You're almost up to my wife's tally by now, and boy can that woman dish 'em out when she's angry."

"She _does_ have to put up with you."

"Yeah, that's true. And nurture my numerous spawn." Hayden's grin remained plastered to his face a minute longer before he finally sobered and glanced down at me again. "So? Are you done avoiding the issue yet, or do you just not want to talk?"

I let out a long sigh as I ran a quick hand through my hair. If nothing else, I was at least glad I was going to get a shower soon. "I'm not really in the mood, Hayden. It's all still…pretty raw for me, and I need to figure out where I'm at with all this before I can open up."

I didn't mention the fact that these types of conversations were normally the ones I had only with Willis - and that part of the problem this time was that it was his death, too, that I needed to somehow come to grips with. I still wasn't even sure I'd be able to do that.

My friend continued to study me for a moment before finally nodding. "All right. I understand." After a moment's hesitation, he leaned down and gave my shoulder a squeeze. "Take care of yourself, Natalie. You know where to find me if you change your mind."


	41. Chapter 40: Final Boarding Call

**Chapter Forty: Final Boarding Call**

**0810 Hours, February 4, 2553. Near the City of St. Louis, Missouri. "The Departure," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-One of the Fate of Humanity**

Nearly everything in the city had been destroyed after the bombing – buildings, playgrounds, parks, schools, homes. It appeared that since Captain William Hawk and his squadron had landed here fifteen days ago, things had only gotten worse in the once-bustling metropolis of St. Louis. Hawk was lucky to have managed to get his son Gabriel and the last group of civvies out of the ONI building when he had; if they'd arrived two weeks later, the area would have already been reduced to this.

"Captain, we're getting close to Kilo's LZ," Willis's second-in-command, First Lieutenant Jessica Meyers, reported over the COM channel. She was five hundred meters ahead with the other half of the squadron's pilots.

Willis sighed before keying his mike. "Acknowledged. Just keep heading towards the objective area and standby for additional orders, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir."

There'd been no ODST escort this time – just sixteen pilots trying to get forty-odd civvies and some UNSC personnel back to where Kilo Squadron had landed their Pelicans outside the city. Thankfully they'd still had the troop carrier Warthogs to ride on, for a while, but they'd since run out of gas about six kilometers back. Besides that, the amount of debris on the roads had been getting worse and worse, as had the Banshee air patrols. By the time they'd bailed and left the vehicles in the middle of the streets, it would've been too dangerous to continue on with them anyway. Keeping such a large group of people hidden from enemy aircraft was easier to do on foot than in noisy jeeps.

Especially when the human cargo was so precious – at least to Captain Hawk in particular. Having slung his battle rifle across his back to help his young son along, he held his sidearm to bear with his right hand instead, keeping a vigilant watch on his surroundings as he walked, scanning for possible pockets of enemy troops or patrols. His co-pilot was beside him as well, covering him and his son, and First Lieutenant Heat was only a few steps behind with his own co-pilot, Second Lieutenant David Jacobson. Still, Willis didn't take that protection for granted; if a firefight were to break out, he was still the last line of defense for little Gabe.

Hawk prayed it wouldn't come to that.

The captain glanced down at his son for a moment. "Hey. How are you doing down there, little buddy?"

Poor Gabe, bundled up against the cold in the thickest kid jacket they could find back at the ONI facility – which wasn't very thick at all and about three times his size – shook his head. "Tired, Daddy. And cold."

"I know, kiddo, I know. We're almost there, though, ok?"

As soon as he and his team had made it to the last group of buildings before they left the city, Willis called for a momentary halt. He pulled Gabriel aside and crouched to his son's level. His heart sank when he saw that the boy's teeth were chattering.

"Cold, Daddy. Cold. And tired. And hungry."

Hawk immediately enveloped his son in a tight hug to try to comfort him, and hopefully provide Gabe with some of his body heat as well. "I'm sorry, buddy, I really am. But we're so close, kiddo. Can you be strong for Daddy for a little while longer? What if Daddy carries you?" Willis had been avoiding that because it would be a very awkward and very risky position to be in if they got caught in the open by a Covenant patrol, but at this point, he'd do it if it meant getting back to the Pelicans faster.

Gabe's eyes began to water then, however, and Willis heard him sniffle. "No…tired!"

Willis sighed. This was just about the worst place for the two-and-a-half-year-old to start having a tantrum. He tried not to get frustrated with the situation – it wasn't fair to Gabe that the little boy had been put in this position in the first place. But Hawk also still had a squadron to run, and dozens of civilians to get to the safety of the Pelicans. They couldn't afford to keep halting like this and risk attracting the attention of the numerous Covies in the city.

Still keeping his son in his arms and close to his chest, Captain Hawk keyed his mike again to hail his XO.

"Meyers?"

"Sir?"

"How close exactly are you to the LZ, Lieutenant?"

There was a pause as Meyers no doubt checked the figures on her datapad. "Less than three klicks out now, sir."

_Good, _Hawk thought to himself. _That means she's still pretty close by._

"In that case, Jessie, I'm going to need you to do something for me."

"Name it, Captain."

"Swing back to my location and gather the rest of the pilots and civvies." Hawk rubbed his burning eyes for a second, then added, "I need to help my kid along and I'm holding everybody else up. I think things would go a lot faster if you took care of the others and I continued on with Lieutenant Heat in the meantime."

"Of course, sir. What are your orders, then?"

"Have the pilots and civvies you've got with you keep going forward to their respective birds, and you get your ass back here ASAP with your co-pilot, El-Tee. And try to get here fast. We'll set up a quick perimeter and maintain position till you arrive."

"Understood, Captain."

"All right. Hawk out."

After also issuing orders to his current group of pilots and getting them to form up a loose perimeter for the moment, Captain Hawk returned his attention to his son. He could still hear the little boy sniffling occasionally. Willis held him closer and started rubbing his hands up and down Gabe's arms to get more heat circulating.

"That a little better, kiddo?"

"Y-yesh."

"Are you still hungry?"

"Y-yesh."

"Ok, hang tight for a sec." Willis tried to keep an arm around Gabe as he pulled an energy bar from one of his cargo pockets. After tearing the wrapper open with his teeth, he handed it over to his son, trying not to worry about the fact that it was his last bar. "Here you go, buddy."

Gabe looked at the bar, then glanced up at his father expectantly. "Candy?"

It wasn't, but Gabriel was a picky eater and Willis didn't want him to continue going hungry. "Yup, for being such a good boy so far. Go ahead and eat, son."

Hawk couldn't help but grin slightly to himself when Gabe got excited and, with eyes suddenly dry, started to nibble on the bar.

That's when his radio crackled again.

"Willis?"

"What's going on, Mark?"

"I heard you're separating from the squadron," his brother-in-law replied. He was up with the other half of rescued UNSC personnel and civvies and with Lieutenant Meyers. Though he'd initially wanted to stay near his nephew, he eventually decided otherwise – he and Hawk were the highest ranking officers present, and as such, needed to keep a safe distance from one another just in case. "Why? Is Gabriel ok?"

"He's fine, Mark. I've got him right here with me." Willis swallowed. "I know…I know you're worried now that…" He paused to try to get the harsh ache in his throat to subside, but it didn't. Hawk had to swallow again. "I know you've been worried since we heard the news about Natalie, but I'm not going to let anything happen to my son. Gabe'll be fine."

Mark's voice was just as rough when he answered. "Right. Just…just wanted to make sure. Let me know when you guys are on that Pelican."

"Yeah. You got it."

When the connection cut, it was all Willis could do to keep the sudden intense pain in his chest at bay. Seeing his son only made it worse, because he remembered another time, not so long ago, when he'd been told Cooper was dead. He'd been ready to tell Gabe then, too, a few deep breaths away from doing it, before his mother-in-law had called him over and told him that maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed. And then, a short while after that, Cooper herself had called, letting them all know she was safe and alive and well and not to worry about her.

Willis knew he couldn't get that lucky twice. Natalie was gone for sure this time, gone for good, and she'd taken their unborn child with her, too. He was still in that stage of numb shock, trying to keep busy as best he could to not think about how awful things were going to be once he got back on base. He was going to have to tell Gabe for real this time, and he had no idea how he was going to handle having to do that when he couldn't even handle Cooper's death himself.

Luckily, for the moment, he was saved from thinking about that any longer by his child.

"Daddy?"

Willis glanced back down at his son. "Yeah, buddy?"

Gabriel pointed a small finger at the frag grenades strapped to his father's chest as he ate. "I haf a ball?"

"Sorry, kiddo." A sad smile formed on Hawk's face, and he shook his head at Gabe as he tapped a grenade lightly with his finger. "This isn't a ball you can play with, buddy. It's not a toy, and it's very dangerous."

His son's face fell. "Oh."

"But don't worry. We'll be in our new home soon, and I can get you a real ball and some toys when we're there."

Gabe grew excited again. "Really?"

"Yep."

"Yay!" Gabriel cried with a grin.

Seeing his son smile up at him like that in a situation like this, Willis's heart nearly broke. He thought of his younger brother, Matthew, who had died at the age of seven, when Willis was eighteen. Sometimes Matthew had had that same expression on his face.

_I wasn't able to save my baby brother, _Willis thought to himself. The raw ache that Matthew's death had left in the Hawk family, though covered up and dulled over the passing of years, was still there in every form just beneath the surface. _I wasn't able to save my little brother, but I will save my son._

It was what Willis's name meant, after all – that's what Cooper's mother had told him a year ago, when he'd thought in anguish that his wife was either dying or dead, not unlike now. His parents had named him William, which meant protector, since he was their firstborn son and also their firstborn child. Because of that, he'd always felt it was his responsibility to look after his two younger siblings, and his little brother in particular. The fact that he'd failed at the latter, even indirectly and through an event he had had absolutely no control over, had haunted him his whole adult life.

But now, with his own son, named Gabriel Matthew for Willis's late brother, Hawk felt he had a second chance to prove his name. To prove himself.

They had to make it to those Pelicans soon.

* * *

Willis's XO and her co-pilot arrived shortly, and with good news for once. In the meantime, Gabe had finished eating his "candy" bar and had since fallen asleep in Willis's arms. Hawk hated that he'd have to wake him up after only twenty minutes, but they needed to get a move on. They'd be much safer once they were up in the air; Hawk could maneuver better from there, and he knew how to keep the Banshees off their tail.

But, for now, Hawk tried not to move as he took in the lieutenant's report.

"Well, El-Tee? What's going on out there?"

A faint smile crossed Meyers's features as she folded her arms across her chest. "The streets are debris-ridden as hell, sir, but the forest has been pretty damn quiet so far. I just got a report from the first half-dozen pilots from my group – they've made it inside their ships with their cargo and are about to lift off as we speak, Captain."

Captain Hawk heaved a sigh of relief. Things were far from over yet, but at least they were heading in the right direction. "Glad to hear it, Meyers. Any Covie activity to report?"

"My co-pilot and I ran into a patrol or two getting here, sir, but it wasn't anything too bad. Popped off a couple shots to tag the stragglers that got too close, then just snuck past the rest. Since there's only going to be four of you plus your son now, I'd say you have a straight shot to the LZ, Captain."

_Well, I can't ask for much more than that_, Willis thought to himself. Maybe after the death of his pregnant wife, his luck was starting to turn around a bit. "Thanks for the info, Lieutenant. Now get my group rounded up and head back out. I want to be notified the minute everything's been secured in your sector."

"Yes, sir."

Releasing a sigh, Willis glanced down at Gabe then. He looked so peaceful and cozy, wrapped up in his large jacket and sleeping soundly as Hawk held him. Willis suddenly wished he'd had more time to spend holding his son like this when Gabriel had been a baby – but hopefully, if the war ever ended, Willis could have more moments like this to come.

After all, from now on, it was just going to be him and Gabe. Natalie was gone.

Captain Hawk tried to force that thought from his mind by gently shaking their son awake. "Rise and shine, kiddo. I know it's tough, but we have to leave, buddy."

Gabe started to grumble a bit, but eventually he yawned and opened his eyes. Willis held him for a second longer before lowering his son to the ground to stand. Though the little boy was slightly irked at being awakened after such a short nap, the bit of sleep and bit of food earlier had somewhat lifted his spirits. He was a little less cranky and more willing to cooperate now, though he didn't make any sort of reply to his father. Gabe simply rubbed his eyes and started to walk again when his dad told him to.

With such a small group this time around and a much more obedient Gabe, it didn't take the two pilots, two co-pilots, and child that long to make it to the edge of the trees outside the city. Based on the highlighted map on his datapad, Willis could see that each of their Pelicans were only a short distance away now.

Still keeping his pistol to bear with one hand and holding onto Gabriel with the other, Captain Hawk turned to his wingmate. "Let's go get you squared away first, Heat. I want to make sure you and Jacobson get safely on board so I can mark you two off my checklist, and then Howard and Gabe and I'll get moving to our bird."

"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Heat replied.

A klick later they could see the Pelican just fifty meters ahead. Willis smiled mostly out of relief, then turned to his best friend with hand extended.

"Thanks for providing extra security, El-Tee," Hawk said. He took in a breath. "And I know that if she were here and knew what you'd done for Gabe, Natalie'd be thanking you, t – "

The captain's words were suddenly cut short by the burst of needler rounds through the bushes. Willis reacted instantly, grabbing hold of Gabe and pulling him close against him while holding his weapon to bear one-handed.

"Howard!" Captain Hawk barked as he took cover behind a nearby tree with his son. "Go see what that was, Lieutenant. Scout or patrol?"

"I'll find out, sir."

He heard his co-pilot approach the brush a few meters away with caution, and he watched as she kept her SMG at the ready, trigger finger already inside the guard. Lieutenant Heat and Jacobson were also set up behind her now, both men down on one knee not far from where Willis was crouched with his son, aiming down the sights of their guns. All three of them looked ready for anything.

Except for the group of two Brutes, three Jackals, and four Grunts that suddenly came rushing out from the vegetation.

Getting caught up in front, Willis's co-pilot was hit by the Covenant ambush first. He heard her scream as she was hit in the torso with plasma rifle fire multiple times, just one blazing-fast round after the other while the lead Brute sprang into action. The sizzling smell of melted armor and vaporized blood and insides wafted through the small clearing in seconds, even before Howard's limp body hit the grassy ground.

Gabriel tried to cry out in Willis's arms as soon as Hawk turned his child away from the horrible scene, but the captain was able to keep his son's shout suppressed by pressing Gabe's face to his chest. The Covenant didn't seem to have noticed yet that Willis and Gabe were hiding behind a tree not too far away, and Hawk wanted to keep it that way.

Though he wanted desperately to help his fellow pilots now that they'd begun to return fire, Willis wanted to keep his son alive more, and he knew he couldn't do both. So, he remained where he was with Gabe, holding onto the boy while keeping his gun out just in case and his back pressed hard against the tree. Gabe had his face buried in his father's chest now of his own volition, and Hawk could feel that his son's small body was suddenly shaking. The little boy was sobbing in fear.

Amid the loud sounds of plasma and gunfire just steps away, Willis tried to calm his son down. "Gabe, listen to me," Hawk whispered hastily and quietly into Gabriel's ear. "Daddy's going to keep you safe, ok? I'm not going to let anything happen to you, buddy."

But Gabriel was still too terrified to say anything. Instead, he only drove his face deeper against Willis.

And apparently for good reason. One of the Grunts from the ambush ran behind the tree then and right into Captain Hawk. It let out a sharp yelp at having discovered the two humans, then rapidly brought its plasma pistol to bear.

With his heart pounding fast, Willis made sure he reacted quicker, turning himself sideways to shield his son as he brought his pistol up.

But he was still just a fraction of a second too slow.

The Grunt's weapon discharged into Hawk's side, and the captain let out a loud, sharp moan of pain as he felt his armor plate boil away. This time, he could do nothing to stop Gabe's shriek.

Struggling against the intense pain, Willis used the last of his strength then to fire back, hitting the Grunt right in the neck once, twice, three times before the Covie finally let up its unexpected attack. Pale blue blood sprayed against his uniform and the tree and the grass, and then the alien finally fell when Willis pumped two more rounds into its stomach.

When the skirmish was over, Hawk looked at Gabe with bile in his throat, hoping desperately that his son hadn't been hit. But besides the tears and snot running down the little boy's face, Gabriel seemed fine upon inspection. Willis let out a sigh of relief, pulled Gabe closer, and stifled another pained groan into his son's hair when the wave of harsh pain crashed into his side again.

It was only then that Captain Hawk noticed that the area had gotten quiet.

"Captain! Captain! _Willis_!"

The voice belonged to Lieutenant Heat.

_Good_, Willis thought with a faint smile. _Brandon survived. He'll make sure my…little Gabe gets back to base safe._

A few seconds later, Willis felt himself getting shaken.

"Hey, Captain. Hey! Don't you fucking die on your kid, man!"

Hawk blinked his eyes open again to see Heat's wild, bloodied face crouched in front of him. He was trying to pull Gabriel from his grasp, but the boy was crying too hard and hanging onto his father too tight. Gabriel knew something was wrong with him, and he wasn't about to let go of his dad.

"He's only got you left, man! Come on!"

Willis took in a deep breath, feeling the air rush into his lungs and cramp up his side as it did so. But he was determined to do this. Heat was right – Gabe needed him. Gabriel needed him to fight through the pain and get up and in that ship and make it back to base alive, so that's what Hawk was going to do.

"That's it," his best friend said to him as he began to rise. Heat slipped his hand beneath one of Hawk's arms, still trying to separate Gabe from him on his other side. Then Jacobson appeared behind the tree as well, prying the boy off his father and watching him while Heat continued to help Willis to the Pelican.

Three minutes later, they reached the ship. Jacobson remained with Gabe and Willis while Lieutenant Heat went back to grab the dogtags off Howard's body, then jumped back into the ship himself.

Hopping in the pilot's seat, he yelled to Jacobson, "What are you waiting for? Patch him up!"

Those were the last words Captain Hawk heard for a while. The rest of the trip back to Denmark passed in a blur for him.

But he'd done it. When he finally regained consciousness somewhere over the Atlantic, Gabriel was looking distressed but was otherwise fine, and Second Lieutenant Jacobson told Willis not to worry; the plasma shot he'd taken to the side had been undercharged, and his armor had taken the brunt of the hit. Hawk and his son were going to be just fine.

Yet his co-pilot was still dead…and so was Natalie.


	42. Chapter 41: Stranger in a Strange Land

**Chapter Forty-One: Stranger in a Strange Land**

**1850 Hours, February 4, 2553. Near the City of Quito, Ecuador. "The Fallout," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-One of the Fate of Humanity**

Two weeks ago, I'd lost my entire family on the same day. A little over a week after that, I'd lost two of the bravest Marines in my company because of a technical mishap. I missed them all.

And now, finally, I was going to have time to mourn them. Which was exactly what I didn't want.

Dealing with intense grief was a slippery slope, and I didn't want to get started in that direction right now anymore than I wanted to be stuck inside a Flood-diseased enemy ship. So I was going to try to avoid it, for just a little while longer – and there was only one thing I could think of to do that would help with that.

That's what I'd thought to myself when I'd first arrived on base in Quito, along with the rest of Bravo Company and the 102nd Battalion. As soon as I'd gotten my company settled in and squared away – and received my own assigned billet from Major Phillips – I walked into my temporary quarters that evening and got to work. I had to do this in steps, methodically, to keep my mind from going into dark territory before I was ready and to keep myself occupied until then.

First, I dropped my heavy military-issue duffel bag on the ground, unzipped it roughly and hastily, and pulled out a fresh garrison uniform before taking off again. I couldn't stand being in a spartan room right now with nothing but glum memories and pent up emotions, so I chose to head for the showers instead. The whole battalion had been given the night off before we were to have an officers' meeting in the morning, and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to take full advantage of that.

Next, once I was done washing the dried blood and grime and vomit and Flood juice from my jungle fatigues and off myself, I dressed in my crisp dull-colored garrison uniform, new socks, new boots, and new underclothes, and made my way to the Officers' Club. I still wasn't all that hungry so there'd be no quick stop by the mess hall first. I just walked right up to the bar with no distractions and ordered a drink, glad that I was going to get to numb oblivion fast since I was drinking on an empty stomach.

A long while later, I was four beers in and working on a fifth when I saw First Lieutenant Lewis step inside the O-Club. I thought he'd come for a momentary respite from reality himself, but when he finally spotted me, he walked over without so much as a glance towards the liquor-stocked shelves behind the bar.

"Christ, Cooper, I've been making the rounds of this bloody base looking for you. Where did you wander off to once we took care of Bravo?"

I snorted into my drink and took a gulp before I answered. "Here, obviously. Took a shower and then came straight here." I teetered in my seat as I waved my half-empty beer mug at Lewis. "You should try some of this beer, buddy. It's good."

My best friend frowned, refusing to take the vacant seat beside me but instead continuing to stand there, looking like a parent as he leaned sideways against the bar. "Natalie, what is it you think you're doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doing, Lewis? I had to order two of my Marines dead, I lost my baby, and I lost my man and my son. I think I'm entitled to some solace now, don't you?" I drained another fourth of my beer as I waited for him to respond.

"Well, you won't quite find the 'solace' you're searching for this way, Cooper. Instead you're going to wake up face-first in the bowl of the loo and wonder where the bloody hell you are and how you got there."

I let out a short laugh. "That's the idea."

I tried to take another drink but Lewis stopped me, giving me a look so stern I was forced to stare back. When he said nothing, I finally gave up and sighed, beginning to get angry myself.

"What do you want from me, Dean? I'm five weeks away from my twenty-sixth birthday so I can damn well take care of myself. And if you came here to judge you can shove it, because you'd hate for me to count the number of times I had to help _you_ home when we'd get back from the O-Club on any base we've ever been stationed at together. We'd always all go drinking on the weekends when we were off-duty, remember? I know I wasn't the only one."

"That was different," Lewis countered, expression still hard and voice slightly raised. "That was social, and that was for fun and to skylark a bit after a hard week. But what it looks like you're doing now is drinking copious amounts of brew alone and trying to get on the fast track to alcohol poisoning."

Finally fed up, I answered darkly, "So what?" I pulled off my wedding band then and slammed it hard on the bar. Lewis gave a startled jump at the sound, but he wasn't what I was focusing on at the moment. Instead, keeping my gaze fixed on the ring, I said after a moment, "This used to symbolize something important to me, Dean. It used to mean me and Willis, always and forever. You know what it means now? Nothing. Not one damn thing. It's just a piece of metal now." I shook my head and chuckled sardonically. "I'm married to a dead man, Lewis. A dead fucking man."

I took another long swig of my beer then, to cover up the harsh sobs that wanted to rise up from my throat. "And you know what the real kicker is? I've got two dead kids now, too. Does that sound like Lieutenant Graham's shit backstory or what?" When I paused to take in a breath, it was suddenly ragged with emotion. "God, I never thought I'd follow in her footsteps like this."

Before my friend could say anything in reply, I quickly shot down the rest of my beer and then held the mug up in the air. "Barkeep! Gimme another one down here."

Lieutenant Lewis wasn't having any of it, however. He pulled my arm with the empty mug back down and looked at me, his face full of concern but firmly set. "Don't you think you've had enough for one night?"

I chuckled harshly again, looking away. This time I could hear myself slur the words. "You tell me, Dean. How much would you drink to keep from thinking about the fact that Claire and Emma were dead?"

I knew that mentioning his own wife and daughter in that context would trip him up for a minute. Lewis set his jaw after a moment and released a frustrated sigh. "Don't even say that, Natalie. You know quite well I'd go out of my bloody damn mind if anything ever happened to them. But you're tearing yourself apart inside over something you're not even a hundred percent sure about yet, and that's what's driving me mad." He ran a hand over his red hair and leaned in to look at me again. "Would you come with me now?"

"Where to, Dean? You going to try to talk to me like Hayden did? Tell me it's all ok because I'm still young and I can find myself some other guy to start a family with in a couple of years?" I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a few tears roll down my face then. I quickly wiped them away and tried to draw strength from my anger and indignation and deep, raw hurt. "I don't want anyone else, Lewis. I can't replace Willis. And I can't replace my son. I just want them back."

Lewis's expression became gentle for the first time then, and his voice went soft. "I would never presume to tell you to do any of that, Natalie, nor do I believe Oliver would, either." He sighed again. "What I came here to tell you was that they've just released the new casualty lists, Cooper. You can find out once and for all if your husband and son are truly gone. Or, you may surprise yourself and find they are still alive. Would you like to come see?"

I thought about his offer for a second, and my sixth beer arrived in the meantime. It was hard to keep my brain focused with my head swimming this bad, let alone think, but eventually I found myself nodding as I wiped my eyes on my sleeve. "Yeah, Dean, ok. I'll come see."

After taking a very generous swig of my final drink, I grabbed my wedding ring off the bar and placed it back on the ring finger of my left hand, then half-slipped off my barstool when I tried to stand up. Luckily Lewis was able to catch me and pull me upright.

"Whoa, watch it there, mate. Take it slow."

Thankfully, even in my beyond-inebriated state, I remembered to dig in my pockets for a large-credit bill and left it on the table to pay for my beers. Then Lewis helped me turn around to face the exit, and we started to head out.

"My mom never remarried after my dad died, you know," I said quietly as we walked. Well, Dean walked and I stumbled. He had to grab hold of my arm to keep me standing and steady while we made our way to the mess. "She had an on- and off-again boyfriend when we were growing up, but she never agreed to marry anyone after Dad. That's how much she loved him."

"It's good your parents were so happy together. I'm sorry about your father."

"Yeah. He died when I was four. My brother Mark, he was eight, and my sister Jenna was ten, and me and my other brother Travis and my other sister Allison, we were too little to really know what was going on. We figured out something was wrong when we saw Mark and Jenna crying."

This was definitely the alcohol talking now; I couldn't seem to stop rambling. Dean was good about it though and didn't tell me to shut up. By the time I'd finally gone silent, we'd reached the chow hall in a few more steps.

Once inside the mess, Lewis quickly looked around for an isolated table. When he found one to his liking, he helped me over to it and said, "All right, then, easy does it. Let's get you sobered up a bit first, hmm?"

"No," I slurred in protest. "I need to see the list. I need to – "

Lewis frowned. "Yes, well, if you went to go see the list now, I doubt you'd be able to read much of it. This will only take a short while, anyhow."

My best friend left me sitting there for a second then as he went to one of the food dispensers to get us some coffee and grub. He came back with a plate of hot food and two steaming cups of joe.

"There. Now eat and drink some, but try not to projectile vomit anywhere. We'll go have a look at the lists in a half-hour."

I ate slowly and not much, but plowed through my cup of coffee. After a quick and awkward visit to the head after taking in all that liquid, I came out to see Lewis leaning against the wall waiting for me, and he helped me back over to the chow hall. It was finally time to check out the casualty lists.

I was surprised to see through my alcohol-hazed vision that there was a third figure standing beside the North America list. Captain Oliver Hayden.

He set himself behind me and squeezed both my shoulders after Lewis released me. "Looks like you've had a rough night, Cooper," he said, tone devoid of humor for once. "I'm surprised Lewis found you still conscious."

I could feel the tears beginning to form in my eyes already, and the lump in my throat that had receded a bit while I drank came back in full force. Between that and the sudden swirling of the room, I knew I wasn't in any condition to be able to read through the small print of names myself. "Can you tell me, Oliver? Can you tell me if…if they're on there? And please tell me the truth."

I heard Hayden heave a sigh, then he exchanged a glance with Lewis before stepping up to the large sheets on the wall.

"Ok. Well, first of all, there's two lists," Captain Hayden informed me. "A short one sorted by confirmed survivors, and a lengthy one with…the deceased."

"Go through the…the dead first."

"All right."

Despite the number of Marines still in the mess, it seemed to me like everything had suddenly gone quiet and still. My pulse was beating steadily and hard in my ears while I waited to hear the words that would make or break me. I was almost at my limit of being able to stand the uncertainty when Lieutenant Lewis spoke this time. He was standing next to Hayden in front of the lists now.

"I don't see a single William or Gabriel Hawk on here, Natalie. But there is a Doctor Lisa Cooper. Any relation?"

I felt my insides collapse. My mother. My mother was dead.

Lewis and Hayden both turned back to look at me as I staggered and leaned my hands against one of the nearby tables to keep my balance. "Natalie?"

"That's my mom," I said in a small voice.

Neither of my two buddies said anything for a moment. I tried to take in the news as best I could, telling myself that at least Willis and Gabe weren't on the list. Then I heard Oliver mutter to Dean, "Well, let's check the confirmed survivors then, huh?"

A minute later, Lewis spoke again. "Natalie, come take a look at this."

I wiped the moisture from my eyes to clear my vision as best I could with the beers still making themselves felt, and looked to where Lewis was pointing on the list.

Three names I recognized were under the heading "Confirmed Survivors". Captain William Peter Hawk, Gabriel Matthew Hawk, and Commander Mark Andrew Cooper. I hadn't even known my brother was in St. Louis, too.

The tears started to come a second after I'd read the names, and they only intensified when Lewis put his arms around me to comfort me. I quickly buried my face into his shoulder, not giving a crap who was watching, sobbing half out of sorrow and half out of absolute relief.

* * *

Despite the semi-good news I'd gotten the night before, I sincerely wanted to die when I woke up the next morning. My head felt like someone had stuck two plasma grenades on either side of it and detonated them in the middle of a fireworks display. And the nausea roiling through my stomach now made morning sickness seem almost pleasant in comparison. I guess Dean or Oliver had realized what I'd feel like when I got up this morning, because there was a bucket on the side of my bunk – and trying to make it to the bathroom down the hall right now would've been a nightmare. I thanked my lucky stars I had such considerate friends, then heaved a night's worth of poor judgment into the bucket. I felt a little better afterwards, though I knew I'd still need to do some other things to be functional again.

When I felt I was able to attempt getting out of bed, I stood for a moment, letting my pounding head get used to the angle, then stumbled over to my duffel bag to grab some aspirin. I shook out three pills, swallowed them dry, and then lay back against my bunk again, waiting for them to take effect before I tried to overcome the next seemingly insurmountable task: getting dressed for this morning's battalion briefing.

The walk to the showers was interesting, and pulling my garrison uniform on after that was just as hard. But now that I was feeling more refreshed, I made my way to the mess nearby to indulge in a vat of coffee before I looked down at my watch. 0900 hours on the dot.

I rushed to the briefing room, swallowing lingering feelings of nausea and hoping my dose of aspirin was strong enough to help me get through this, and sat down beside my XO just before Major Phillips arrived.

As soon as I saw Lewis open his mouth to speak, I held up a hand and said, "Don't talk to me. I'm hungover as fuck and barely alive. I just want to get through these next few minutes and then go back to sleep."

My friend slowly grinned at me with amusement. "Yes, ma'am."

Across the room, Hayden gave me a small wave to get my attention, made a gesture that pantomimed being sick, then winked at me.

I wanted to shake my head, but that would've only made my nausea worse. Instead, I vowed to get back at both of them someday, then stood at attention when another one of the battalion's captains called out, "Attention on deck!"

Phillips strode into the room with his face more serious than usual and commanded, "At ease, everyone. Our plans for the next operation have gotten a little complicated, so let's get through this quickly and we'll see where we're at."

Though it appeared all of us company commanders and company XOs were now confused, no one asked any questions yet. The battalion commander looked out at us after staring down at the table for a moment, then dove in without preamble.

"ONI has just discovered the Flood's central hub and how they got to Earth." He glanced over at me. "Captain Cooper, your mission to destroy that infested Covenant ship has been replicated in at least two dozen other locations across the globe, and Regiment informs me that they're looking to do the same right now in another six. That's not a coincidence.

"And as I also said, that's not the only major point to discuss here today. Intelligence units now know where both the Covenant and the Flood really wish to go and what they want. What you're looking at here, ladies and gentlemen, is a map of Kenya, Africa."

We all turned our heads to face the projection against the wall behind Phillips, and he stepped aside to point out the objective areas. "The city of Voi and the city of New Mombasa, Marines. Those of you who volunteer for this mission will be getting intimately acquainted with both, along with their alien residents. You will train hard, you will study maps until your eyes bleed, you will plan tactical deployments and insertions and what to do once you're inside each city's limits." He paused to glance at all of us again in turn. "And if all goes right, you will be taking part in the very last battle of the Human-Covenant War."

The tension in the room was palpable, and for a moment no one even breathed. Could the end of the war really be this close? Could we really take out the main Flood collective and get rid of both them and the Covenant for good?

Before I could let any of it sink into my brain, Major Phillips was speaking again.

"Keep in mind that not all of the 102nd Battalion can go. There's still a mission in the works to retake what was lost to us in Portoviejo, and we'll need a significant number of Marines for that as well. I also realize that some may not want another trip through Flood-infested streets and would prefer to stick to the Covies instead, which is fine. But this is the big one, Marines. This is what we've been fighting for for twenty-eight long, God-awful years. So make your decisions accordingly, and choose soon. Both operations get underway tomorrow, so come to me individually by the end of the day and let me know what you and your men decide."

The briefing went on for another hour as Phillips told us the plans and numbers needed for each operation - the one to get Portoviejo back from the Covies, and the one that was supposedly going to end the war. Then, towards the end, he said, "Before you're all dismissed, one more thing. The Africa mission is going to be an extremely large undertaking, and as such, it will take a while to thoroughly plan out. So, you will all be sent to the initial staging area in Skagen, Denmark for several days at first. That's where our air group for this op is forming up at the moment. Once everything's underway, some of you will be moved to the secondary and closer staging area in Ethiopia, where you will remain as a rapid-deployment reinforcement unit in case you are needed. The rest of you will get flown right into the fray from Denmark. Any last questions?"

_Skagen, Denmark. Willis's base_, I thought to myself. Where I'd been on the fence about the two operations before, with that, my mind was thoroughly made up. I was going to go see him, no matter what I had to volunteer for to do it.

When no one raised their hand, Phillips nodded. "All right, then. Now, I want each of the captains to hold a briefing of their own with their entire company in the next hour, and find out how many of your men volunteer to go to Kenya and how many wish to go back to Portoviejo instead. And remember, you yourselves have until 2300 hours tonight to decide. Dismissed."

I frowned at my battalion commander's final orders then and rubbed my aching temple as the other officers began filing out of the room. I was now going to have to successfully speak to Bravo Company without throwing up in their midst, and I feared I wasn't going to get anymore sleep today, either.

Life was definitely not fair.


	43. Chapter 42: Prelude

Author's Note: Apologies for having a filler chapter so late in the game, but this is to help maintain story continuity and to get all the characters on the same page. :P In the meantime, Chapter 43 is already in the works!

**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Two: Prelude**

**0624 Hours, February 6, 2553. UNSC Roosevelt Air Base, Skagen, Denmark. "The Interim," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-Three of the Fate of Humanity**

Willis awoke early in the morning with a number of toes in between his ribs on his uninjured side, poking him through the white T-shirt and boxers he wore to bed. He grumbled at the discomfort and, still half-asleep, wondered what had possessed Cooper to sleep sideways. Maybe she was having nightmares again; she never liked to show how much the things she saw in combat affected her, but Willis knew better than anyone else that they definitely did. He'd have to talk to her about it again, ask her how she was really feeling and how she was really doing given recent events.

That's when one of the legs kicked at him, and he'd never known Natalie to do _that_ in her sleep.

Captain Hawk opened his eyes with a grunt and turned over to see his son squirming beside him, sleeping exactly perpendicular to Willis halfway down beneath the covers. Perplexed, Willis placed a hand on Gabe's side to pull him up as the boy startled awake. Gabe's eyes looked a little wide at first, then calmed and began to tear up when he saw his father.

"Aw, Gabe…" Hawk said, releasing a frustrated sigh as he brought his son in for a hug. "Did you have another bad dream?"

Gabriel didn't answer except to sob harder into Willis's shirt, so Willis took that as a yes.

Rubbing his little boy's back, he said, "Gabe, it's ok. It's ok, buddy. You're safe. You're home and you're safe, ok? And look, Daddy's ok, too. We're all ok."

"M-Mommy," Gabriel sniffed. "I want Mommy."

The raw ache in Willis's chest resurfaced then, and he had to shut his eyes tight for a moment to hide it. He still hadn't gathered the strength to tell his son his mother was gone.

"I know, son. I want Mommy, too, kiddo." He couldn't bring himself to give their son false hope, though, and tell Gabe he'd see her again soon. The truth was, neither of them were ever going to get to see her again.

But, even with that painful knowledge, Hawk did his best to calm his son down, so that Gabriel was only sniffling occasionally. A few minutes later, the small boy had seemed to have mostly forgotten his bad dream, and was already crawling off the bed to get to his new toys in the corner of the room. Willis just sat back against the bunk of his quarters and closed his eyes again, taking a deep breath when he felt the sting of tears coming on.

He never thought he'd be in this position for the second time. The first time had already been bad enough, but round two was even worse. His baby was gone now, too, not just his wife. He'd wanted that second child since Natalie had come back from Sigma Octanus IV alive, but they'd had to put the plan on hold for months. The recent pregnancy had only come about because of uncharacteristic carelessness, but he'd been secretly glad because it meant they'd no longer have to wait until the war's end to have another kid together. Now, though, he wasn't going to get another chance. Cooper was dead, their baby was dead, and all he had left was their son…who reminded Willis of Natalie every time the boy looked at him with those green eyes.

It was going to be another difficult day.

An hour passed before Captain Hawk knew he had to get up to start getting ready for the briefing later in the day. ONI and HighCom were planning a truly massive op now that they knew what the enemy wanted, and Willis and Kilo Squadron had volunteered to be a part of the air group that would soon go to Kenya to aid in the fight. Today's meeting was to be a follow-up to yesterday's, to check on the pilots' progress so far in preparing for the big assault.

Hawk had just two hours to shower, dress, shave, get to the mess to eat and get Gabe fed and dressed, gather up his squadron's pilots, and then try to find a babysitter since Mark had been busy with his own work lately. And somewhere in between all that and the officers' meeting with Major Collins, Willis was going to have to go turn in Second Lieutenant Karen Howard's dogtags to the coroner.

As if Natalie's death weren't enough, the captain had lost another co-pilot under his watch. This was shaping up to be the dreariest week Hawk had ever had to get through.

Pressing a hand to his side against his bandaged plasma wound, he sucked in a painful breath and walked over to his desk, where Howard's bloodstained dogtags still lay. Brandon had handed them to him after Willis had regained consciousness and they'd made it back to base – Captain Hawk was squadron commander, so the tags were his responsibility to deliver. He just wished he didn't have to.

"Daddy?" Gabe called from the other side of the room then.

Hawk turned to face his son. "Yeah?"

Gabriel put down his toys for a moment to touch his cast and frowned. "Arm hurts."

"I'm sorry, buddy. But when we saw the doctor yesterday, he said it was getting much better and that the broken bone was healing up nice, so you don't get any more pain meds from now on."

The boy made a disappointed face before returning his attention to his large wood puzzle. Willis smiled fleetingly at his little addict, then picked up his co-pilots dogtags and put them in the breast pocket of his uniform jacket, which hung on the desk chair. He'd go hand the tags over later, but for now he settled in with getting Gabriel and himself ready for the duties ahead.

_I think a spiked cup of coffee is in order_, Willis thought to himself with a heavy sigh.

* * *

It was later on in the mess, after having a quick breakfast with his son, that Willis noticed the large white sheets of paper hanging from the walls, and for a minute he paused before one of them. The bold-lettered writing at the top read "Asia", and just below it, in much smaller and normal print, were the names of thousands of military personnel and civilians.

These were the updated casualty lists.

"I already looked her up, Willis."

The captain turned around to see his best friend smiling wide at him from a table nearby. If he hadn't been such a restrained person, Willis would have decked the grin right off Lieutenant Heat's face.

"That's something to smile about?" Hawk growled low at his wingmate. "My wife is dead, Brandon, and she was carrying my child! How could you even – "

Heat didn't seem the least bit fazed. "Do I have to spell it out for you, man? Jesus, you really think I'd be smiling if I knew Cooper was dead for sure? Natalie's fine, Willis. Check the damn board."

Still slightly skeptical, Captain Hawk made his way slowly over to the South America side of the lists, a few sheets ahead of where he'd been standing by Asia. Holding onto Gabe's hand a little tighter than usual, he quickly scanned the C's, as he'd done in St. Louis to find his mother-in-law.

Nothing. There was nothing.

Natalie Cooper wasn't on the list of the dead.

Willis felt a hard slap come down against his shoulder even as the faintest glimmer of a grin began to form on his face.

"See, man? I told you. And if you direct your attention to the left, there's another list. A much shorter one. Survivors."

There, below Lieutenant Heat's pointing finger near the top of the second list, was Captain Natalie McKenzie Cooper, confirmed survivor.

Hawk could hardly believe it. His wife was alive. His wife was alive, and that meant their child was, too. He still had his whole family left and intact. And he wasn't going to have to tell Gabe his mother was gone.

Instead, he was going to get to tell Gabriel that he was going to be getting a new brother or sister soon, just as planned.

And, as if the news couldn't get any better, Major Collins informed her pilots that their base was going to be the initial staging area for the upcoming operation in Africa. Willis knew Natalie wouldn't have missed a fight this big if she'd been on active duty, but since she wasn't, he hoped maybe her unit would have volunteered nonetheless and that he'd get to spend a few days with her on base before he flew out. When he asked his CO if the 102nd Battalion of the 603rd had signed on yet, she happily informed him that a part of it had - Bravo and Charlie Companies were on their way to Denmark. Captain Hawk had never felt more excited. Not only was Cooper suddenly alive again, but he was also going to get to see her now.

When he walked into his quarters after the briefing, Willis picked up his son with a wide grin and said, "Guess what, kiddo."

"What?"

Hawk's smile widened. "Mommy's coming home."


	44. Chapter 43: Good, Bad, Ugly

**Chapter Forty-Three: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly**

**1709 Hours, February 6, 2553. UNSC Roosevelt Air Base, Skagen, Denmark. "The Reunion," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-Three of the Fate of Humanity**

When I stepped out onto the tarmac of the air base in Skagen, Denmark, the first thing I noticed was the chill. Having been stationed in the southern hemisphere of Earth for so long, where the seasons were reversed, I'd gotten used to the intense heat of the months of December through March, rather than the cold winters the other half of the planet normally experienced during that time. I mentally thanked Major Phillips for instructing my company and Hayden's to dress in heavy uniforms for the trip rather than the T-shirts and thin summer trousers we'd been wearing on base in Ecuador, then started to shiver almost instantly. It was really that cold out.

I turned to face Lewis standing beside me and said, "Well, I guess we should look at the bright side and say at least we won't be sweating up a storm in one-hundred-plus-degree heat anymore?"

My best friend snorted. "Yes, I suppose we should. But blimey, Cooper, my arse is freezing in this place."

I noticed that despite his complaint, the temperatures weren't really doing all that much to dampen my XO's mood. He was the only one in both companies to have gone the entire flight with a big grin on his face. I hadn't been able to ask him about it earlier, since I'd been sitting across and several Marines down from him in our small transport ship, so I looked over at him now and raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"You've been beaming for four hours straight, Dean. Want to tell me what's going on?"

He gave me a cautious glance in return. "You're sure I won't upset you if I tell you?"

"What do you mean?"

He suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "I know how hard the last few weeks have been for you, what with the unexpected loss of your child and all. I don't want to rub it in if you feel it might be painful if I told you the news I received from my wife before we left Quito."

Though I couldn't deny - even to myself - that whatever Lewis had to say about his wife's pregnancy probably _was_ going to hurt, he was my best friend and I owed it to him to be there for him with something like this.

"Go ahead, Dean," I said. "Lay it on me." I managed a smile for him that I didn't really feel but thought I should have.

My friend smiled back at me even wider than before, which I hadn't thought possible, and I felt a little better that I'd been able to muster up the appropriate response.

"My son was born a week ago, Natalie. He's a bit premature, but Claire said she and the baby are both doing fine. We named him Cedric. Cedric Dean Lewis."

"I'm really happy for you, Dean. Congrats."

"Thank you, Natalie." His expression became determined then. "This only makes me want to go to Africa even more, you know. I want to see my new son more than anything, but it will be even better when I get to see him knowing the war's at its end."

Before I had a chance to reply, Captain Hayden suddenly ran into view as he got off his own ship. As usual, he was looking carefree with a grin of his own stuck on his face.

"Well, hey, guys," he said to Dean and I when we were within earshot. "Welcome to a new base, huh? It's friggin' cold!" He blew his breath out in the air and, like a kid, stood there a moment to watch it billow up. The way he acted most of the time, it was hard to remember sometimes that he was the oldest of the three of us at thirty-one – and a veteran of several more hairy campaigns than I'd been in myself.

Dean reacted first, giving Hayden a smirk. "You're quite sure you weren't dropped on your head as a child, Oliver?"

"Not that I know of, but my mom did always say I was special." Then, as the Marines of Bravo and Charlie Companies began to disembark around us, I saw Captain Hayden squint into the distance. He turned to look at me. "Hey, you know that swabbie? He's waving at us."

I glanced over to where he was looking and started to smile myself. "Do I ever. That's my big brother."

Mark was fully decked out in his Navy dress whites, sporting a number of different-colored campaign ribbons and medals on his chest. Along with the three full gold stripes and single star sewn onto the cuffs of his uniform jacket, he looked a lot like what I remembered of our dad. Adam Cooper had been a commander in the UNSC Navy, too, and I thought he'd be proud of his oldest son if he could see Mark now.

My brother's face lit up when he saw me. "Natalie!"

Before I was ready for it, I found myself trapped in giant bear hug – the kind that only older brothers can give. I didn't miss the fact that Mark's hug seemed a little tighter than usual, though.

"It's really good to see you, kid," he said to me, still hugging me hard. "And I'm glad you're ok. I thought I'd lost another sister."

I hugged my brother back, then pulled away from him after a minute. I gave him a puzzled look and asked, "Lost another sister?" My thoughts went immediately to the youngest of us Coopers, our little sister, and I tried not to let my heart sink. "Is Allison ok?"

Mark seemed thrown off by the question. "Huh? Yeah, she's just fine. I was…" He paused and tried again, and this time the momentary emotion was gone from his voice again. "I was looking through some of Mom's mail earlier. Allison and Travis wrote to her a couple weeks ago. Allie's in India right now – she finally got her commission and she's out there at her very first post with her MP unit. And Travis is in Australia with his fellow Scorpion tankers."

I slowly nodded as I took in the good news. I was glad the rest of our siblings were alive and well for now, even if they were still in harm's way. I hadn't received any letchips from them since I'd been stationed in Argentina back in early December, and I'd been trying, unsuccessfully, not to worry about them.

"Anyway, when I said lost another sister, I meant losing you," Mark said quietly. "We just lost Jenna less than three years ago, I didn't…" He swallowed. "And now Mom…"

I felt the lump in my throat begin to throb, and I reached for my brother the same time he reached for me. "So she's…so Mom's really gone, then?"

Mark's chin was on my shoulder now, and I heard him take in an unsteady breath. "Yeah, Natalie. I watched Mom die in the medical wing. The buildings…the buildings in St. Louis were unstable after the bombing. Some rubble collapsed on her and...she didn't make it."

"Oh, God, Mark. I can't believe Mom's _gone_…"

"I know, sis. We're going to have to tell Travis and Allie, too. Send them letchips…" He let go of me and turned away for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't even want to think about it right now."

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I took in a deep breath to keep my emotions in check. Any good news I'd received lately had been tainted with the bad, and so I had to steel myself to ask the next question. "What about Gabe?"

"He's doing much better now. Willis brought him to the medical wing on base yesterday, and he told me the doctors said – "

After seeing the worried look on my face at hearing my son had been in the medical wing, Mark was quick to explain. "Right, sorry. I forgot you didn't know what happened. Gabriel's fine, Natalie, but he was injured in part of the same rubble that…that killed Mom. He had a broken arm and a few scratches when they pulled him out. But really, honestly, Natalie, he's ok now. I wouldn't try to downplay anything concerning Gabe's welfare to you."

That initial bit of information my brother had imparted was the last thing I wanted to hear. To know my little boy had been _that close_ to being crushed under the weight of damaged buildings along with my mother was more than I could handle at the moment. Gabe was alive, yes, but apparently only by a hair, and I wished I didn't know just how close he'd come to death's doorstep. I was only able to keep my composure now because it had only been two days ago that I'd thought Gabriel was gone for good.

Still, with a shocked hand over my mouth and eyes suddenly clouded by unshed tears, I shook my head in response, unable to speak.

Seeing how jarred I was by his words, Mark grabbed hold of my shoulder then and squeezed, shaking me a little. He gave me a small, reassuring smile. "Natalie, really. He's ok."

Eventually I nodded and was able to find my voice again. "I want to see him, Mark." Pausing for a second to wipe my face against my uniform sleeve, I tried again. "I want to see him, but I have to get my company settled in first."

"I understand. He'll be real happy to see you, you know. He's been asking for you a lot lately."

The emotion momentarily resurfaced, but I was able to bring it back under control quick. This was going to be the first time in seven months that I was going to get to see my son. "All right. I should be there in an hour or so."

It was as I was turning to join the rest of Bravo Company still coming off the ships that my brother called me back. He had a grin on his face now.

"Hey, I forgot to congratulate you."

Perplexed, I said, "Huh? For what?"

"Willis told me you're pregnant," Mark replied. "You're not showing yet, so I guess it's still fairly early, but I wanted to make sure I wished you all the best before I left for Africa. And I want to know what you're having when you find out, ok? If I'm getting a new niece or another nephew this time."

I didn't have the stomach or the emotional inventory left to even respond to that. I just walked away from my brother without another word, leaving him standing there in confusion, and forced my thoughts towards getting Bravo Company squared away.

* * *

I felt oddly nervous as I made my way to Willis's quarters an hour and a half later. With my company all housed at the new base and my own request to bunk with my husband approved, I should have been feeling relaxed. Instead, I found myself feeling like I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into. I tried to shrug it off as I walked.

I didn't knock on the door once I'd approached, since the room was just as mine as it was Willis's now, and even if he was standing stark naked in there, it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before and nothing he would mind.

I was, however, startled to see Brandon Heat sitting on the desk chair when I stepped inside – and it was very apparent that I'd surprised him as well.

"Hey, Natalie."

"Hi, Brandon."

He recovered from his momentary lapse and stood to give me a quick hug. "Haven't seen you in a while, Cooper."

"Same here. Where's Willis?"

My husband's best friend returned to his seat at the desk, where he'd been looking over a few ship specs, before answering. "He's in a meeting with Major Collins right now. Some new detail on the Africa mission or something. You heard about the big op, right?"

I folded my arms across my chest and nodded. "That's why I'm here."

"Right. I bet you're wondering why I'm here, then." Brandon leaned back in the chair and flipped a thumb over his shoulder. "Little guy's asleep in the bunk. Willis begged me to come watch him while he was out."

"Thanks for that, Brandon," I said, already starting to cross the room towards Gabe. "I appreciate you doing this."

He waved a dismissive hand at me. "No problem. Willis was pretty messed up these last couple days, so I was glad to help out."

I stopped and shot Heat a look. "Messed up how? Brandon? Is he hurt?"

"Ok, ok. I bet he wouldn't want me telling you this to make you worry about him, but I can't _not_ tell you when you're giving me that very persuasive and daunting wife look." He sighed. "They told him and your brother back in St. Louis that your base in Ecuador had been overrun, Cooper. He thought you and the baby had been killed. It wasn't till this morning that new casualty lists were put up and he found out you were ok."

_Oh, no, _I thought. _Willis…_

"And he…kinda had it rough getting out of the city. He took a plasma bolt point-blank to his side the other day to protect Gabe when we got ambushed. Luckily the round was undercharged, but still."

I put a hand over my eyes then and released a long sigh. It sounded like things had been going just as badly for my husband lately as they'd been for me. And Mark's words to me about thinking he'd lost another sister now made much more sense as well. "Thanks for letting me know, Heat."

"Yeah."

I walked the remaining steps to the bed then as I heard Heat gather up his things from the desk, then crouched beside my son's sleeping form.

"Hi, sweetheart," I whispered as I placed a hand on his little forehead and started brushing back his light brown hair. The strands were still short, but a bit longer than I remembered. And Gabe himself had gotten a whole lot bigger in the months since I'd seen him last – he was still a thin little guy, but he'd grown taller and was starting to look more boyish now than like a young toddler. It felt like my little boy was growing up too fast already, and he wasn't even three yet.

I leaned in to kiss his hair, and that was when he finally stirred.

Gabriel looked every bit like his dad, right down to the color of his hair and the shape of his nose and face, but he had my eyes. He opened them a crack and gave me a sleepy glance. "Mommy?"

"Yeah, honey. I'm here."

His eyes grew wide and excited then, and he jumped from the covers and threw his little arms around my neck as he shouted, "Mommy!"

I hugged him as tight as he hugged me, being careful of his arm, which I could see now was still in a cast, and leaned over to kiss the side of his head and his small cheeks. I'd missed him so much I couldn't even express it in words, and after going through a horrifyingly painful period thinking my little boy hadn't survived the bombing, it felt unbelievably good to have him in my arms again, safe and alive and looking happy.

My little Gabriel snuggled deep into my shoulder and said, "Miss you, Mommy."

"I missed you, too, Gabe. Lots. And I love you so, so much, baby."

"Love you, Mommy."

I continued to hold onto him long after we'd run out of things to say, but for once Gabriel didn't get frustrated or bored and try to wriggle his way out of my grasp. He kept holding tight onto me, too, and it didn't seem to bother him at all that we stayed that way for several minutes in complete, contented silence.

* * *

Gabriel had fallen back asleep by the time Willis came through the door to his quarters. I was lying next to our son on the bunk then, holding his little hand as he slept since I hadn't been able to nap myself. Despite how physically and emotionally exhausted I was, there'd just been too many things running through my mind for me to catch any zees. The best I'd been able to do was pull off my boots and close my eyes for a few minutes as I listened to my son murmur in his sleep.

I started to get up when my husband walked in to greet him, but Willis made a motion with his hand for me to stay where I was. He shut the door, leaned a hand against his desk for a moment as he took off his own boots, and then walked up to the bunk to squeeze in on my side. It was a tight fit with all three of us on a bed normally meant for one, but usually officers' quarters had beds that were a bit wider, so we managed.

The only way Willis and I were able to stay on while Gabe lay sprawled on his back beside me was to flip over onto our sides. Willis put his arms around me from behind as he lay with his chest against my back, and then he leaned over to kiss my neck.

"Hey, Cooper. I've missed you."

I turned my head to receive a second kiss on the lips. An unexpectedly deep one.

"Hey, Will. I've missed you, too." I kissed my husband back with equal fervor, trying to ignore the effect his body and his touch were having on me right now. Things weren't going to go anywhere with our son in the room, so it was best to try not to get too worked up.

Willis seemed to think the same, as he made no further attempt to entice me. Instead, he rested his chin on the side of my shoulder as he gently pulled a few strands of my hair from my face with his hand. "How was the trip over here?"

"Uneventful." Then I smirked. "Unless you count a couple of the privates losing their lunch along the way. Some of those kids are too green for their own good."

I heard Willis chuckle in my ear, and felt it rumble through his chest at my back. "That's why I like being a pilot, Coop. You only get officers in your wing."

I snorted. "Yeah, but sometimes the second lieutenants are even worse. Don't tell me you haven't encountered any of the cocky know-it-alls who later end up crapping their pants the second the first shots are fired."

Willis laughed a little louder this time, but still tried to keep his voice down as Gabe continued to sleep beside us. "Ok. When you put it that way, Coop, I guess you're right."

I felt his hand start to slowly inch down my side then, and I was torn between enjoying the feeling and knowing I should stop him. I almost felt relieved when the hand stopped at my stomach, because it meant he wasn't trying anything.

But then I also realized what he thought was still there.

His lips were at my ear again when he spoke. "How'd the baby take the flight?" He chuckled again. "Did you get as sick as the newbies?"

If I'd had any tears left, I was sure I would have started to bawl outright. The loss of our unborn child was still a wound as deep for me as the physical stab I'd received, and I couldn't stand knowing how hard the news was going to be for Willis to hear. But I wasn't about to lie to him about it, either, and there was never going to be a good time to say it. So I took in a deep breath and said, "Will, there's something I have to tell you."

He must have heard the quiver in my voice, because he leaned over me more fully now to see my expression. "What?"

Since I couldn't hide my face from him anymore, I had to close my eyes tight for a moment to escape his piercing gaze. I took his hand instead, the one that was on my stomach, and pulled it a little higher before I gave it a tight squeeze. Keeping my eyes shut, I let the words just tumble out. "I lost the baby, Will. I got hit and I had a miscarriage, and now the baby's gone."

I'd been wrong. I did have some tears left, somewhere in reserve behind my eyes, and they started to come hot and fast now. I quickly turned over onto my other side, facing away from the still-sleeping Gabe, and buried my face into Willis's chest to muffle my sobs. Utterly dumbstruck, my husband folded his arms tighter around me, and for a moment he said nothing and didn't even move. Then, I felt him press his forehead into my hair and he finally spoke. His voice sounded hoarse and faint, like he'd just been punched in the stomach.

"Jesus, Natalie."

"I'm so sorry, Will. The Covies just attacked out of nowhere, and I – "

I heard him take in a long breath. His voice sounded firmer this time. "No. It wasn't your fault, Natalie. It was those alien bastards. But as soon as I get to Africa, they're going to pay. They're going to pay for everything they've ever done to us and our family."


	45. Chapter 44: Priorities

**Chapter Forty-Four: Priorities**

**1544 Hours, February 7, 2553. UNSC Roosevelt Air Base, Skagen, Denmark. "The Choice," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-Four of the Fate of Humanity**

"Hold steady, Coop. Hold steady. You're breathing too hard – it's throwing off your shot. Hold ste - "

Finally reaching the limit of my patience, I dropped my weapon in the dirt and turned back to glare at my husband. "Willis, shut up! Christ, no wonder I'm breathing so hard. You're driving me up the damn wall." I shut my eyes tight and took in a calming breath, then reached over to the side to grip my battle rifle again. Aiming down the sights once more and trying to keep my attention on the paper target at the end of the range, I added, "This isn't the first time I've fired a gun, you know. I know what I'm doing, so please, just stay out of it."

Willis gave a snort behind me, and then I heard the scuffle of boots against dirt as he changed his stance. "I know you know what you're doing, Coop, but you've been off on the last five targets now. You're better than that; you just need to focus."

I pulled the trigger of my BR55 and continued to fire off short bursts until I'd emptied the clip. Then, once the magazine was spent, I waited for a view of the target sheet to pop up on my datapad.

I let out a groan when it did. All my bullets had gone wide _again_.

"That's it. I'm done for today," I said, placing the dusty rifle beside me as I shoved my datapad back in my pocket. "And maybe when Hayden sees my targets, I'll get demoted, too."

"Hayden's a captain like us. He can't demote you."

I frowned. "Maybe, but he's still in charge overall of Bravo and Charlie Companies for the Africa op since Major Phillips decided to stay in Quito. Hayden can order me off the mission if he wants to."

I started to push myself off the ground from my prone position, but Willis came to help me up when a sudden stab of pain went through my stomach. My husband let out an involuntary grunt himself as his own plasma wound made itself felt at the motion as well, and for a moment, we both stood with hands to our respective injuries.

When Willis's eyes met mine, we both started laughing.

After taking a quick glance around to make sure the other Marines at the range were otherwise occupied and not looking in our direction, my husband slid his arms around me and pulled me in for a quick kiss. "We're turning into one of those old couples already, Cooper. We even have the debilitating aches to prove it."

"And here I thought that was something we wouldn't have to worry about for a long while," I said with a grin. Then I sobered as I glanced down at my watch. "All right. Come on, Will, we should be getting back. It's almost Gabe's nap time, and I want to spend a few minutes with him before we have to put him down."

It was only day one of preparations for the mission in Africa, so Willis and I had opted to head out to the firing range this afternoon as a warm up for all the training – weapons, tactical, and physical – we'd be doing in the days to come, in addition to working out plans for our respective units' deployments. As usual, nothing much stopped Willis from hitting each of his targets dead-on, but I'd found myself too preoccupied with other thoughts to really put forth a decent effort. So far, my heart just wasn't in it yet.

My husband, of course, had picked up on that right away, and thought maybe coaching me might help. Instead, I'd only gotten irritated, and so my shots had ended up getting progressively further and further from their mark.

The truth was, I didn't really want to be at the range right now. I wanted to be with my son.

I'd never once squandered an opportunity to be with Gabriel before, but now, after believing for well over a week that I'd lost my little boy forever, I felt a persistent need to be with him whenever I possibly could. I wasn't even that enthused about going on the Africa mission anymore. I felt like I'd gotten a second chance to really mother my son now, and everything else seemed like a secondary consideration in comparison. The feeling was only exacerbated by the recent loss of my other, unborn child.

But I also still had a company of over one hundred Marines – of _my_ Marines – to lead, since I very much doubted I could do anything badly enough to get Hayden to force me to relinquish command. And right now, my divided loyalties were tearing at me much harder than usual.

"Natalie? Did you hear what I said?"

I turned to Willis as we walked. "What?"

He suddenly came to a halt and quirked his eyebrows at me. "You really are somewhere else today, huh? What's on your mind?"

I sighed and began walking again, hoping Willis would drop it and follow. "Nothing, Will."

"Cooper."

"_What?_"

"I know you better than that, honey. I can tell when something's bothering you."

I stomped into the small shed where the outdoor firing range's personal store of weapons was located, grateful that we didn't have to go on the long walk to the main armory on base to put our rifles away. The space was just big enough for one person, what with all the racks of guns, ammo, and gun-cleaning supplies set up throughout, so I thought I'd get a moment to collect my thoughts.

Instead I heard the door shut, then turned around to bump into Willis's chest.

"Willis!" I hissed in a low voice. "Do you have any idea how much trouble we'd be in if we got caught here together?"

My husband responded by flashing me a wicked grin. "I don't remember the possibility of getting caught being big on your worry list when we were at the Academy, Coop. In fact, I think it was you who suggested we try the armory once. Something about the smell of gun oil while we – "

My face went red, but hopefully Willis would think it was out of anger. "That…was a different time, Will. We were both much younger, more rash, and we didn't have ranks to lose then. I already got in trouble for Salzburg and I don't want another dressing-down from my higher-ups. Now please open the door."

Willis sighed and complied, turning to open the door back up. "I was teasing, Coop. I just want to know where your head's been at all day."

"You really wanna know?"

"Yeah."

I pulled the battle rifle off my back and placed it on an empty rack, then dug through my pockets for the two clips of ammo I had left over so I could return them to their containers as well. "The baby, Will. I was thinking about the baby."

When I turned to face him, Willis had a pained look on his face now. Eventually, though, he nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said in a rough voice. "I was, too. But we have a chance to end this war once and for all with this mission, Cooper. We have to give it everything we've got or it might not work."

Stepping out of the shed to let my husband put his own things away, I shook my head once I was outside and replied, "That's just it, Will. I don't know that I have anything left to give."

Willis set his equipment down quick and came out to envelope me in his arms. We stood there in silence for a minute, the angle of the small range armory blocking us from the view of others, and simply held onto each other.

"Natalie, don't worry," my husband said softly. "We'll have another baby, ok? I still want another kid, and I know you do, too. If all goes well, this war will be over as soon as we get back from Africa, and we can try again."

"Will..."

"I know it won't replace the kid we lost, Cooper. I know that. But this is the best way we can try to move on, and it's better for us – better for Gabe, too – if we think of it that way."

I wasn't so sure he'd convinced me, but right then I wanted to get my mind off the subject and get back to Gabe. So I nodded, and hoped we wouldn't have to talk about it again for a while.

* * *

Just as I'd predicted, Brandon was quick to admonish us when Willis and I returned to our quarters.

"You guys know I'd do anything for you, right? But when I agreed to watch Gabe for you for an hour, it was supposed to be just that – an hour. It's been three."

"Sorry, Heat," I said. "It was my fault. I kept screwing up at the range and it took a lot longer than we thought."

My husband's best friend tried to look stern for another moment, but then nodded in understanding. "Fine. I guess this is what I get for not tagging along on the crazy Africa op, huh?"

Heat had chosen to stay behind in Denmark rather than go to Kenya, which was going to come in handy when Willis and I had to leave Gabe behind to go ourselves…if we could convince Brandon to watch him.

And if I still chose to leave my son behind.

As Brandon got up to go then, Willis slapped him once on the back. "Thanks, man."

"Yeah, yeah," Heat said, but I could hear from his tone that he wasn't angry in the least.

The first thing I did now that we were back was walk over to my little Gabe. I picked him up from the floor, where he'd been playing with his toys, and gave him a kiss on the cheek as I held him close. "Hi, honey. Did you have fun with Brandon today?"

"Yesh."

Willis came up to stand beside me then and leaned over to kiss Gabe's hair. "Hey, buddy."

"Hi, Daddy."

Gabriel tried to sustain our attention as long as he could, but after a while I could tell the sleepiness was beginning to win him over. He hated having to take naps, but by the middle of the day, it seemed he couldn't do without. He ended up falling asleep in my arms before I could even set him back down by his toys. When I was sure he was out, I walked him over to the bunk to tuck him in, then joined my husband at his desk. Now was a good time as any to get started on studying maps of Kenya.

Two hours later, our son was still sleeping soundly, with no signs of waking up anytime soon. So, Willis and I took it as a chance for a short break from the mission-planning. Willis stepped over to the mini-fridge on the other side of the bed and glanced at me as he pulled out a beer.

"Want one?"

I shook my head. "Nah. It's too cold here. I never thought I'd say this, but I think I preferred the other continent in terms of weather."

Before cracking open his drink, my husband came back over to kiss the side of my neck. Then he whispered in my ear, "If you're cold, Coop, I know something we could do to keep warm…"

I chuckled, already starting to feel his body's heat as I closed my eyes and leaned my chair back against him. "Will, please. I don't have unlimited amounts of self-control when it comes to you, and as long as Gabe's here, you know we can't."

But his lips were already at my neck again. "I can get Brandon to watch him for another bit."

I snorted and kept my eyes closed as I replied, "Somehow I highly doubt that."

Willis nibbled my ear this time. "Your brother…"

"My brother's in a briefing for the next couple hours."

My husband grinned. "Perfect. We can get him to watch Gabe in a couple hours then, have part of the night to ourselves…"

"Is that really all you can think about?" I sighed and set my chair down again before turning around to look at Willis. "You're not the least bit worried about this mission?"

He looked puzzled. "Of course I am, Coop."

"And you're fine with all it entails?"

"Like what?"

"Breaking up the family again now that we've finally been able to get together? Leaving Gabe behind, alone?" I found myself staring down at one of the maps of Kenya we'd been studying and shook my head. "I'm not really sure I want to go anymore, Will. I had a chance to stay behind in Ecuador with the rest of the battalion, but I volunteered for this to come see you. And now, after everything that's happened, I'm not sure I want to give that up. I don't want to give you or Gabe up for this. Because we might not come back."

Willis was quiet for a long time before he spoke. His words were purposely calm, deliberate. "Natalie, you think I don't want that, too? I fought hard to get to Gabe and I fought hard to get both of us back to you. I was dying inside when I thought you were gone. If there was any chance of winning this war by staying behind, I would do it in a heartbeat. I've got you and I've got Gabe – I don't want to give that up, either. But we can't not fight, Cooper. We only have one last battle ahead of us but if humanity doesn't go in prepared with the very best, the war _will_ keep on going."

I took in a breath. "I know that, Will. But I don't think the end all be all lies with you and me."

"What about your Marines? They need you, Coop. Hell, _humanity_ needs us. Don't you see that?"

His tone was a little fiercer now, but so was mine.

"Our _son_ needs me, Willis, and he needs you. That's what's most important."

Willis didn't say anything for a moment, the sudden outrage clear on his face. "Isn't eliminating the Flood important, Natalie? If no one takes care of that, we're all fucked. There won't be _anything_ left to come back to, let alone any_one_."

"But that's just it, Will. The Flood _are_ being taken care of, and so are the Covenant. I just don't think they need to be taken care of by me and you specifically. I've more than done my part. I've fought tooth and nail every day of this war for almost six years, been wounded more times than I can count, been separated from my family, lost tens of my family and friends, sacrificed my child. I'm done."

"So that's it then, huh?" my husband replied, his voice low and his expression dark. "You're just going to abandon your company at the eleventh hour, when we could finally have this war in the bag? Well I can't do that to _my_ pilots, Cooper, to _my_ men. I'm not just going to up and leave and let them to do the dirty work alone."

Those words hit me right where they hurt most, and Willis had known exactly what he was doing when he'd said them to me. He knew me far too well sometimes, and he knew they would get to me like nothing else. Not leaving out an ounce of anger or indignation from my voice, I stood from the chair then and stared him down.

"You've got a lot of fucking nerve, you know that? You have no idea what I went through in Ecuador, Willis, none, so don't believe for a single second that you do." Despite my best efforts, my voice rose along with my ire. "I thought I'd lost everything, Willis. Everything! Our baby is dead. I thought you were dead. I thought Gabriel was dead. I was so close to falling apart so many times, I didn't even know how or why I kept going. But do you know what I finally figured out? I kept going for Bravo, Willis, because I knew my company needed me. My Marines needed me, so I bottled it all up and fought, fought hard, even knowing that everything that mattered most to me in this world was gone." I quickly took a deep breath, forced down the throbbing lump in my throat, and continued before Willis could respond. "I know what it feels like now, Willis, to lose everything, to have nothing left to live for. So now that I have some of that back, I'm staying right where I am to be with my son, and I'm going to let someone else take the damn hit for once."

Willis didn't reply for several minutes, and instead stood there looking at me with a hurt expression on his face. Finally, however, he spoke, his tone so rueful that the lump in my throat resurfaced.

"I'm sorry, Cooper. I'm sorry for everything you had to go through. But I can't do this to my men."

"What about your son, Willis? What about _our_ son?" I took another breath to keep my emotions in check. "I had to grow up without my dad after he was killed in this same shitty war, Will. You don't know what that's like, because both your parents are thankfully still alive. But I was four years old when he died, and it crushed me. It crushed my family. If something happens to you…I don't want Gabe to have to live without his father, too."

That made Willis pause for another moment, but I knew him just as well as he knew me. When he felt resolved and his mind was made up about something, he was going to see it through no matter what. "Then I guess I'll just have to do my best to make it back to him, Cooper."

And then, without another word, he left.

The door to our quarters wasn't slammed, but it hadn't been shut gently, either. Poor Gabe, who'd now woken up and had been sniffling on the bunk since Willis and I had started arguing, began to cry in earnest now.

"Gabe, it's ok," I said to him as I walked over and picked him up from among the covers. I hugged him and patted his back as he cried into my shoulder. "I'm sorry we scared you, sweetheart. We were just having a talk."

"Where did…where did Daddy go, Mommy?" Gabriel asked after a while between sniffles. "He…he looked mad."

"He was mad at me, Gabe, not at you." I kissed his small forehead and continued to hold him close. "Daddy'll be back soon, honey. Don't worry."

But for the first time in a long time, I wondered.


	46. Chapter 45: Recovery

Author's Note: Sexual content abound. Nothing too explicit, but it might be a bit racy for the T rating, so you've been warned.

**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Five: Recovery**

Gabriel was busy munching on the last of his dinner when I heard the door to our quarters open. I knew that had it been anyone other than Willis, there would have been a knock instead, so I didn't think anything of it at first.

I heard Willis cross the room as I continued to sit there with my son, helping him stack some colored wooden blocks he seemed to enjoy playing with in between bites. After having spent the entire day in initial preparations for Africa and then having the huge fight with Willis, I was glad to be able to spend some relaxing and much-needed time with my little Gabe. It was only when I glanced up to see my husband's boots in front of the block castle I'd been making with our son that I began to wonder what Willis was really up to.

"Daddy!" Gabe exclaimed, noticing Willis's reappearance for the first time - he'd been too engrossed in his toys a moment ago to look up. Our son quickly stood and hugged his father's legs before Willis bent down to give him a proper hug.

"Miss me, kiddo?" Willis asked him with a smile. "I was only gone for a few hours."

"Uh-huh," Gabriel replied. Then he grinned. "But Mommy say you come home soon."

That earned me a quick sideways glance from my husband. I didn't say anything as he returned his attention to our son.

"Well, how would you like to spend a little more time with Uncle Mark while Mommy and Daddy talk, huh?"

Gabriel started to squirm in his father's arms. "No, Daddy. I wanna stay with you and Mommy."

"I know, buddy. We want to stay with you, too. But it won't be for very long. We'll come get you when we're done talking, ok?"

Gabe finally stopped squirming when Willis set him down. "Ok, Daddy."

Though still unsure as to what my husband was planning, I reached out to kiss my son's small cheeks before letting him go. "Be good for Uncle Mark, sweetheart."

"Ok, Mommy."

Willis scooped Gabe up into his arms then, taking him out into the hall without another word. I still couldn't quite gauge my husband's mood, but I decided not to worry about it for now. Instead, I gave our son a smile and a wave when Gabe shook his little arm at me.

And then they left.

* * *

It was a few minutes before Willis finally came back. When he first walked in the door, he had that same mask on as before, and I wasn't sure if that meant he was still angry with me and he didn't want Gabe to see it, or if he'd calmed down by now and really just wanted to talk.

Unlike with Ethan, however, either way I wasn't afraid. When Ethan used to come over with that blank expression on his face, I knew that it was just a facade he'd wear in front of my mom or my siblings until he could get me alone in another room. That's when he'd explode in anger, and I was in for a slap in the face or a punch to the gut or a muscled arm around my throat for whatever trivial thing I'd done that day that had happened to set him off.

I took a deep breath then, and tried to rid myself of the awful memories by reminding myself that the man standing in front of me now was the one who'd saved me from all of that. Despite the intensity of our argument earlier, I knew he would never do anything like what Ethan had.

Abruptly, Willis's expression seemed to soften, and I realized that what I'd been thinking about right now must have manifested itself on my face. Even before I felt the tears sting my eyes, Willis had his arms around me.

"I'm sorry, Coop," he whispered in my ear as I buried my face in his chest. "I didn't mean to...you know I'm not like him. I'll get mad at you sometimes, but I'd never touch you, Natalie."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you, too," I said, my voice muffled against him. "I just don't want anything to happen to you, Will. We lost our baby. I thought I'd lost you and Gabe. I..."

"I know, honey. You know I'd never leave you and Gabe if I didn't have to." He pulled back just enough so that he could look me in the eyes, but kept us in a tight embrace. "But this is something I have to do, Natalie. I can't let my pilots go alone. I won't."

I shut my eyes hard as I swallowed the lump in my throat. This was going to be the hardest decision I ever made, because I knew what the consequences would be for our son if I chose wrong. But Willis was right: he couldn't leave his men. And neither could I.

"All right, Will. We'll go to Africa together."

He blinked at me in surprise. "You're sure? I thought you said - "

"I'm not going to let you _and_ Bravo go while I stay behind."

"What about Gabriel?"

I sighed. "I'm...doing this for him. You're right; I can do more good if I help get rid of the Flood and the Covies than if I just sit here on base with Gabe." I tried to muster up a small smile. "There'll be time for that later, right? Once we've won this war."

"All right. But who do we know who'll take care of him, then?" my husband asked. "Your brother's not going to be here."

"Brandon's staying behind, isn't he?"

Willis chuckled. "He's not exactly the kid type, Coop. He's good for a couple hours, but if we leave Gabe with him for a few weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if we came back to find our two-year-old with a beer in his hand."

My grin widened a bit at that. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But what other choice do we have?" I quickly sobered again. "We've both been through these situations enough times to know what this will mean, Willis. There's a very real chance neither of us will come back."

Most of the time, I valued the optimism and surety my husband had when it came to the darker times; I certainly had when we'd been battling the Flood together several months ago. But this was different, in so many ways and on so many levels. This was larger. This was more important. This was going to be the end, one way or another.

Before I could let my mind tumble through that abyss, however, I was suddenly up against Willis's chest once more, and his lips were at my ear.

"You might be right, Cooper. But we can't start thinking that way just yet," he whispered. "We've still got some time left before we leave, to prepare and to make sure we've got the best team and the best chance possible of making it back in one piece. Let's just...try to make the most of it."

He moved his mouth from the side of my face to my lips then and gave me a soft kiss. Though I'd wanted to protest his words earlier, I found myself too distracted by his touch to do so at the moment. Instead, I pressed against him hard and kissed him without thinking.

That soon escalated into something more. In moments, he'd slipped his hands beneath me to pick me up and set me on the edge of the desk behind me, the fiery desire getting stronger in both of us as our kisses became more passionate. When I eventually slid my hands underneath his shirt to help him out of it, Willis suddenly grinned.

"You know I've been wanting to do this since I walked through that door?"

I chuckled. "So have I. I didn't want Gabe to leave, but..." I bent my head for a moment to kiss his neck and collarbone. "I really wanted this, too."

Willis's T-shirt hit the ground a moment later, followed quickly by my own. With that, he soon had me in his arms again and carried me over to the bed. But there was something I had to be sure of before things went any further, so I said, "Will, wait."

But my husband decided that that was a good time to keep going instead. His lips crashed against my own as he ran his fingers through my hair, and by now, with things getting this heated, my self-control wasn't strong enough to keep me from reacting. I kissed him back just as hard, gripping his shoulders for leverage and wrapping my legs tighter around his hips, then moaned into his neck when he ground against me in response. It was giving me hell to have him so close to being inside me, separated only by a last few layers of clothing. I wanted all of him, and I wanted him now.

Finally, Willis broke off with one last dizzying kiss to straighten a little so he could start unbuttoning his pants. I was breathing so hard by then from the intense make-out session that I knew my brain was thoroughly oxygen-deprived, but thankfully reason was still able to somehow barrel through the libido.

"Willis," I repeated forcefully. This time, I pressed both my hands to his bare chest when he tried to come in for another ravenous kiss. The action took me so much more control than he realized, but this was important.

Willis paused in his trouser-removal and flashed a mischievous grin. "What? You want to do it for me?"

I slapped him playfully on the cheek. "That's not what I meant. I just…I don't want to end up with another kid right now."

"Oh." His smile wavered for a moment at the mention of a baby, and I felt it, too; the loss was still incredibly raw for the both of us. But we definitely couldn't afford to get careless with the birth control again, especially not now. I'd already seen what had happened the one time since Gabriel was born that we _hadn't_ been too attentive in that department.

After a brief moment of silence, Willis's grin finally came back and things picked up speed again. "Don't worry, Cooper. I've got something for that."

I grinned in return then and pulled his face in close for another kiss. "Glad to hear it. Because it would've been a real pain in the ass to have to go to the PX right now..."

* * *

When it was over and we'd both been satisfied, Willis, still breathing hard from the exertion, rested his sweaty forehead against my shoulder. Though momentarily drained of energy myself, I let him lean against me as I brought an arm up to stroke his short hair. Neither of us made a move yet to disentangle our bodies from one another, as the moment was still too fresh. But while I ran my fingers through my husband's hair, trying to catch my breath and waiting for my brain to come back online, he glanced down at me for a second and smiled.

I smiled at him in return. It would be a few minutes until we were ready for something more.

* * *

I woke up with a start a few hours later and realized my brother had never come by to drop Gabe off – and that Willis and I had unwittingly fallen asleep after making love again. I almost started to panic until I checked my datapad, which was thankfully somewhere within reach, and saw that I had a new message – my older brother telling me that Gabriel was already down for the count at his place, and that he'd go ahead and set up a cot for him so he could stay over.

I guess it was just as well that Mark had decided to keep my son for the night, since the only clothes nearby were the ones on the floor, and I had no intention of leaving the warmth of the bed – or Willis in it – anytime soon.

After checking the digital clock on the nightstand and seeing that it was now early morning, I tried to return to my previous position where I'd been snuggled against Willis to fall back asleep. Several minutes later, however, I was still wide-awake, unable to keep my worries about Africa from the night before out of my head.

Unlike with missions past, _everything _was riding on this. The future of our family, the future of the UNSC, the future of our very species. If humanity lost now, we were all doomed, and Willis's dismal worst-case scenario prediction would be correct – we'd have nothing left to come back to.

But if we won, and if we both managed to survive, it would finally be the end. It would be everything we'd ever hoped for and everything we'd been fighting for all along. Even if it was a long shot, it was something important to hold onto and to hope for, a good vision of the way the future could be if we did things right.

I raised my head up from the crook of Willis's bare shoulder after a moment, and saw with slight amusement that my husband wasn't having any trouble sleeping at all. Though his short, light brown hair was looking incredibly disheveled from last night and I could still feel the faint prickles of his stubble against my forehead, his face looked calm and content. I tried to imprint the image in my mind as I placed a few soft kisses against his chest and his neck.

Because I knew that once we left for Africa, there was no telling if and when we'd see each other again. And while we were apart, I wanted to remember him just like this – naked and relaxed and happy beside me.

I wasn't counting on my light touches to wake him up.

Willis looked at me with hazel eyes only half-open for a moment before giving me an extremely alluring sleepy grin. "Hey, Cooper."

I grinned back as I leaned over further to kiss him on the lips this time. "Hey, Will."

"Where's Gabe?"

"Still at my brother's." I kissed him again, deepening it now, and ran my hands slowly along his chest. "I love you, you know," I said. "In case I don't say it enough and in case anything I said yesterday made you doubt it, I'm crazy about you, Willis, and I love you."

Now it was Willis's turn to kiss me back, and he slid both his hands to my cheeks to grab hold of my face and kissed hard. Then he chuckled and smiled even wider at me. "Natalie, you're my wife, and I've known you forever. I know you love me, honey. And I love you, too." He paused to kiss me again. "Nothing that happens, not even on this Africa op, can change that."

We started kissing each other then with even more fervor than before, and we didn't end up getting much sleep until the dawn sunlight was creeping in through the blinds.


	47. Chapter 46: Departure

Author's Note: I'm going to be taking some creative liberties with the missions in New Mombasa and Voi, so it might not exactly match the official version. However, I'm trying to stick as close to canon as possible while putting my own spin on things (and taking into account the fact that my characters aren't Spartans). :P Anyway, hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Six: Departure  
**

**1956 Hours, February 11, 2553. UNSC Roosevelt Air Base, Skagen, Denmark. "The First Step," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-Eight of the Fate of Humanity**

The time to leave for Kenya had come much faster than anyone had anticipated, but I'd learned by now that that was the nature of these things. A week-long battle would seem like the longest decade of your life, but a week with your family or on leave would seemingly pass by in seconds. So of course the deployment for the most important operation of our lives seemed to come up even quicker than usual.

Presently, I was walking down the hall with my second-in-command at my heels, trying to read over a listing of Marines and supplies on my datapad at the same time I was concentrating on putting one boot quickly in front of the other. Being ever the diligent XO, First Lieutenant Lewis had already called Bravo Company up for formation at the airstrip, and now I was about to go issue the first orders of what looked like was going to be a rough night.

"This everything, Dean?" I asked him before we stepped outside the building.

"To my estimation, yes, ma'am," Lewis replied.

I frowned at him. "Looks like we only got three replacements. I asked for twelve."

Technically, Bravo Company as a whole was down twenty Marines – we'd never been at full strength to begin with, even when we'd been in Argentina, and the rest had become victims of the fighting in Portoviejo. I knew asking for a full replacement contingent was a laughable request at best, so I'd chosen to only beg Regiment for the bare minimum. But they hadn't even given me that much.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm afraid with the volunteer nature of the mission and the fact that there simply aren't enough new recruits to shuffle around to begin with, we got a bit shortchanged, Captain."

I snorted at the complete understatement and pushed open the doors to the outside, feeling the biting cold of the wind hit my face instantly. I wished for a heavier jacket to go along with the rest of the gray battledress uniform I was wearing, but I knew we'd probably all be back to T-shirts, armor, and trousers once we touched down in Africa; the seasons were reversed again in southern Kenya, so it'd be hot there.

Still, I frowned at both the current freezing temperature and my best friend's words. "So things are already FUBAR and we haven't even taken off yet. Tell me what else is new."

Dean suddenly stopped walking at the same time I did and let out a low whistle.

"Well…there's always _that_," he remarked.

It was astounding. Despite the unfilled vacancies in my own company, it looked like the rest of the UNSC hadn't had any trouble at all gathering the necessary manpower for the op in Africa. Pelicans and Hornets and even Longswords were busy warming up and getting prepped by pilots and maintenance crews all around the large tarmac, and whole battalions of Marines were forming up by their commanders in the equally huge parade ground nearby. The only thing that was noticeably lacking in the current picture was the presence of any Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.

"No Helljumpers?" I asked Lewis as I looked up the information on my datapad. "That can't be right." Then, once I'd entered my service number, name, and rank at the request, I was granted access and a short memo popped up on the screen. "Oh, wow. They're being gathered in Ethiopia already, where our reinforcement units are going to be. They're supposed to drop into the objective areas two hours ahead of us, to soften up some of the enemy strongholds before we go in." I checked my watch. "That means they'll be leaving in forty-four minutes."

"Godspeed to them, ma'am."

"Yeah."

I wondered then just how much more information we'd also had to go without. I understood the need for secrecy until the last second for an operation like this, but I felt these kinds of mission details should've been imparted to Lewis and I earlier, or at the very least to Charlie Company's commander.

Then another thought occurred: Hayden probably already knew, but had been forced to keep quiet about it.

"Great," I muttered.

Lieutenant Lewis snapped out of his momentary awe first and nudged me. "Over there, Captain. On the left side of the parade ground. There's Bravo Company."

I nodded as I let out a sigh. "All right then, Lewis. Let's get to it, shall we?"

"Yes, ma'am."

As we approached the large group of familiar Marines, I saw my company first sergeant, Eugene Dikaros, complete his circuit of inspection and return to the head of the formation before Dean and I arrived. Then, as I walked up to his side, the senior noncom shouted, "Company, atten-_hut_!"

Bravo moved as one, shifting their postures quickly from a relaxed parade-rest to a snappy, rigid attention. I kept a small grin to myself, knowing they probably wouldn't see it in the dark, and then came to a halt in front of my Marines. I guess all my training had actually paid off – they were as disciplined as any commander could hope for.

I nodded over to First Sergeant Dikaros while Dean came up to stand on my right side. "Thank you, Sergeant."

The noncom gave me a crisp salute. "Ma'am! Bravo Company is ready at your command, Captain, and all are present and accounted for, ma'am."

I returned his salute and said, "Very well, Dikaros. Go ahead and form up."

"Yes, ma'am."

Once he was in formation as well, I returned my attention to the group as a whole. "Bravo Company, listen up," I said, shouting to be heard over the sounds of aircraft engines and other commanders bellowing their own orders nearby. "This is going to be it, Marines. This is going to be our last shot and, if we do this right, our very last fight. So let's be sure to give those Covies twenty kinds of hell, and let them know that as long as we're here and still breathing and still on our feet and still have an arm left to fire a damn weapon, they won't be bringing us down. We'll show 'em that as long as Bravo's out there in front, even if we're the very last line of defense, they won't be wiping out the human race. Not this time, Marines, and not on our watch. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good. Now, you all know the area well, and you know what our first task and our first objective will be. We'll be dropping in half a platoon at a time by Pelican a few klicks outside the city of New Mombasa, along with Charlie Company. We'll be the first infantry companies going in. There'll be more to follow soon after, but you know what that means: we've got to secure the LZs and make sure things stay clear for the rest of the relief forces coming in. Then, we spearhead an assault on the roadblocks set up around the city until we break a hole in the Covies' lines to the Tsavo Highway. After that, it'll be up to Charlie and the remaining units to secure New Mombasa; in the meantime, Bravo and two other companies from the 608th Regiment will be making their way to Voi via the expressway – we'll help open that road up to bolster the ground units there.

"It'll be a tough fight, Marines. The Covenant are well entrenched in both cities as well as all across the highway, and they've already managed to beat back and decimate the UNSC forces that were originally stationed in these areas. And once the ODSTs go in for the initial assault in less than an hour, the Covies'll know we're coming next, too. But this is humanity's last stand, Bravo. This is our last shot to take back our home planet and tell those alien bastards we've had it with their shit, and to kick their asses back into space." I finally gave my men a smirk they could see. "And then they'll know that they never should've messed with the Marines."

"Oorah!"

"All right. Platoon leaders, finish getting your platoons in order, and then get them back here in forty minutes. Semper fi, Marines, and let's do this. Dismissed."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The formation started to break up then by platoons as Lieutenants Hillburn, Frederick, and Lewis went to attend to any last-minute tasks they needed to wrap up. And right now, I had some loose ends of my own to get straightened out.

I turned around to find that two of them had been standing behind me nearby since I'd started speaking to Bravo Company.

Aware of the other Marines surrounding us, Willis gave me a mock-serious look as he held our son and said, "May I have a quick word with you, Captain?"

I shot him an amused glance in return. "Yes, you may, Captain. But only if I can hold my son for a minute."

Willis smiled as he handed Gabe over for me to carry, and we started walking off the parade ground. "That was quite the rousing speech, Coop. I'm sure you've got Bravo all fired up for the op now."

I snorted as I felt my son lay his head on my shoulder. God, I absolutely hated that I was going to have to leave him in less than three hours. I couldn't even stand the thought, so I tried to redirect my focus to the task at hand. "Yeah. Either that, or they're groaning at the blatant display of false bravado I just put up." I shook my head. "I'm still not sure at all how this is going to turn out, Will."

"It'll be fine, Coop. Just like I've been telling you all along."

I sighed, wishing I could somehow trick myself into believing that was true, and ran a soothing hand over our son's hair as we walked. I could tell Gabriel was already fighting a losing battle himself – one against sleep. "Gabe, are you still awake, baby?"

"Y-yesh," came a distant-sounding, muffled reply.

"We've got to get this kid to bed, honey," I said to Willis. "I still have to get some stuff together before I have to get back out here and make sure Bravo's good to go, so I can't watch him for much longer."

My husband sighed this time as well. "I know. I've got to get back to my bird soon, too – I've already got the techs running some preflight checks for me, but I don't know how much longer I can stall. Then I have to get the rest of my squadron up to par." He paused and gave me a rueful half-grin. "Hell of a life we chose, huh, Cooper?"

"Yup." I looked down at my sleepy little boy then and smiled to myself. "But if we had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a single thing."

Willis saw where my gaze had gone, and his grin widened as he gently rubbed Gabe's back for a second. "Yeah. Neither would I, Coop."

* * *

Both of us were surprised when we knocked on Heat's door a few minutes later, only to see him fully dressed not in his garrison uniform, but in a flight suit, like Willis.

"Hey, guys," he began. "So…I decided I'm gonna go. Willis needs a good wingman, and honestly, Cooper, if you want him to come home to you safe, I'm his best shot. He sure as hell can't watch his own six worth shi – " Brandon stopped himself as he saw Gabe still clinging to consciousness in my arms, and instead finished with, " – worth crap."

As I stood to the side holding my son with a raised eyebrow, I watched as my husband and his best friend clapped each other once on the back, sudden grins on both their faces.

"I knew your lazy a – butt would come around," Willis said. "If nothing else, just so that afterwards you can try to take credit for all the work _I_ did yourself."

"Hey, we'll see if you can even _find_ those Banshees without me, _sir_." Brandon then turned to me with an apologetic look. "Sorry I can't watch the little guy anymore, Natalie. Hope you can find someone else." He stuck out his hand. "But good luck with the company. I hear you guys gotta take the brunt of the assault in the beginning, so be sure to kick some alien a – Some alien butt."

I took his hand and shook it. "As long as you flyboys got our backs in the air. We'll be needing all the support we can get on the ground, so try to remember that when you're up there."

"Yeah, of course."

While I made to leave with Gabe, Willis looked over his shoulder at Heat and said, "Be at your bird in twenty, El-Tee."

"Yes, sir!"

I shot my husband a look as soon as we were out in the hall again. "What the hell was that about?"

"What?"

"Brandon changing his mind at the last possible second. I don't have the option to stay here with Gabe anymore, Will. That ship has sailed; I've got a company to run. And you've got your squadron."

Willis sighed and ran a quick hand over his short hair, which he'd just gotten shaved close to his scalp again this morning. "We'll find someone else."

"_Who_, Willis? Who that we know well enough and trust enough? Hayden and Lewis are leaving with me, and my brother's gearing up right now, too. That doesn't leave us with anyone."

"Let's just try your brother and go from there, Coop."

I couldn't help but think this was a waste of time when I stepped up to the door to Mark's quarters and knocked. If we didn't get a move on soon, I'd be departing Roosevelt Air Base without so much as a rifle in my hands.

My older brother blinked when he saw me. "Hey, little sis. Whatcha need?"

I looked down at Gabe and saw that my son was just starting to nod off now. "Willis's buddy bailed on us and I need to find someone to watch Gabe. We've both gotta leave in a little while. I'm not sure what to do."

Mark gave me a look and sighed. "Well, you're lucky, because I'm not going. My higher-ups decided I'm too valuable an officer to be put in the field right now, especially considering that I'm the one in possession of all of Mom's stuff. They said they'd rather I stay here to help strategize our next move once the fighting gets underway."

"You don't sound happy about that."

"I'm not. I'd rather be in the field, but…I get it. We've all gotta do our part." He pointed to a cot leaning against the wall by the bed. "Go ahead and grab it. Gabe can stay with me while you guys are gone."

Relief flooded through me. "Thanks, bro. You're really saving my a – my tail."

"No problem, Natalie." He smiled at me. "But you're gonna owe me for this one, you know. When all this is over, the wife and I are going to need some time alone together – and besides that, my girls miss their aunt. Catch my drift?"

"Yeah. I've got babysitting duty for my nieces when I get back. Got it," I said with a grin.

In the meantime, I waited while Willis set up the cot beside Mark's bunk. When it was ready, I walked over to tuck Gabe in. I tried not to let the sudden lump in my throat get too strong a hold on me.

Willis came up to say goodbye to him first.

"Hey, little buddy."

Gabe struggled to get his eyelids halfway up. "Hi, Daddy."

"Do you want to give me a hug real quick? Daddy's gotta leave soon, kiddo, and I won't be back for a while."

That woke our son up as much as he'd be able to. Gabriel sat up fast, threw his arms around Willis's neck, and hugged him hard. "No, Daddy. Want you to stay home."

"I know, Gabe. I want to stay home with you, too, buddy. But I have to go." I watched as my husband kissed the top of our son's head. "I love you, kiddo. A lot."

"Love you, Daddy. Miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, Gabe. But I'll see you when I get back, ok?"

"Ok."

Then Willis stepped back, and it was my turn. I swallowed hard before crouching to Gabe's level.

"Be a good boy for Uncle Mark while we're gone, ok?" I asked, giving my son a small kiss on his forehead.

Gabriel looked up at me from among his blankets and pillow with half-closed eyes; the poor kid was already starting to fall back asleep. "Ok, Mommy."

"We're going to be gone for a little while, Gabe, but we'll be back soon. I promise."

Even as I said the words, though, I could already feel the lump tightening in my throat. This was going to be humanity's final assault, both against the Flood and the Covenant – and here, like everywhere else there had ever been a battle, there were no guarantees. In reality I could promise my little two-and-a-half-year-old nothing. I wasn't sure if it would be both Willis and I coming back, just one of us…or neither of us at all. But my child was my future, my hope, and I didn't want him to know that ugly truth.

Although he was sleepy, my son seemed to perceive that things were different tonight. He was used to having both his parents come and go; unfortunately, seeing Willis or I leave after only a short stay at home was nothing new for Gabriel. But maybe he caught the sudden shimmer in my eyes, or felt something different in the way I stroked his hair and held his small hand. It was all I could do to keep from tearing up in front of him.

Gabe sat up abruptly then and wrapped his arms around me fiercely, just as he'd done with his father. But this time, he buried his face in my shoulder and squeezed me tight. "Love you, Mommy," he said with a slight tremor in his voice. "I wish you and Daddy didn't haf to go 'way."

I kissed his light brown hair and hugged my little boy back just as tight, fighting the harsh lump in my throat now. "I know, Gabe. I wish we didn't have to leave you, too. You mean everything to us, baby. Everything. But Mommy and Daddy have to do this, to keep you safe and so that you can grow up in a better world. Can you be a strong boy until then?"

Though I could feel the slight moisture of his tears on my uniform now, Gabe nodded. "Y-yesh."

"Ok, good. You're going to have to be." I gave him one last kiss on his cheek and wiped the tears from his eyes with my hands. "I love you, Gabe. So, so much, son, and so does your dad. We'll see you in a little while, all right?"

My son nodded a second time as we pulled apart. "Ok."

I tried my best to muster up the biggest smile that I could, trying not to show outwardly just how much I was hurting inside. "Bye, sweetheart."

"Bye," my son said in a small voice.

And with that, I took a deep breath, said my goodbyes to my brother, and followed Willis out the door.

* * *

The only thing left to do after that was some last-minute packing and a quick gathering of weapons and munitions. It didn't take long, and Willis and I soon found ourselves forced to start walking back towards the airstrip. Willis had to get back to his bird before I needed to get Bravo Company formed up again, so I walked with him until we were inside one of the hangars. I saw a group of officers already huddled around one of the tables at the entrance, discussing plans and tactics, but there was another small table on the other side that was empty.

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to talk to you about something real quick."

He hesitated. "This isn't along the same lines as the last time you had to tell me something, right? It isn't going to be horrible news or anything?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Strictly professional this time, actually. Let's head for the vacant table."

"All right."

Once there, I quickly brought out my datapad and pulled up a map of the Tsavo Highway, with two highlighted dots indicating New Mombasa on one end and Voi on the other. Willis leaned in close so he could see, too.

"I don't know which squadrons are going to be assigned to which areas or to which duties, honey, but I was hoping maybe you might."

Willis frowned. "Not off the top of my head, but I can probably ask Major Collins and get the info to you somehow. What do you need?"

I pointed to the long stretch of road on the image. "Once we get dropped into New Mombasa and destroy the roadblocks, Bravo's going to be part of the convoy going on to Voi. Do you see how long and exposed this highway is?"

"Yeah. You're gonna want a lot of air support, Coop, especially if you're in a convoy with vehicles. Collins told us the skies there are chock full of Banshees, and you can be sure they'll be gunning for the tanks and 'Hogs." He looked at me, concerned. "Natalie, you have to promise me to be very careful while you're out there."

I nodded. "Of course, Will. That's why I wanted to find out who's assigned to watch the highway. I definitely want support for my company. But…there was something else, too."

"What?"

"Hayden held a briefing yesterday with both companies, and he told us there's not just Banshees to worry about on the road. Whenever we get near some of the bigger cities, there'll be overpasses and buildings to cover us pretty well, but we're basically going to be sitting ducks a lot of the time. The Covies'll be bringing in Phantoms and Ghosts at us, too, and probably Wraiths. The Ghosts and Wraiths we're going to have to take care of on the ground with the Scorpions and 'Hogs, but you guys in the air are going to have to worry about anti-aircraft batteries in addition to the Phantoms and Banshees." I looked up at him. "I just wanted to make sure you had the full picture, Will. I want you to be careful up there, too. And besides, I think all of this would be easier to coordinate if both the ground forces and the forces in the air had easy communication with one another. Can you let Collins know?"

"Yeah, Cooper, of course." He put his arm around me and kissed the side of my head. "I'm not going to leave my own wife at the mercy of the Covies' air force. One way or another, I'll make sure someone has your back."

"Thanks, honey." I managed a small smile. "I guess we're supposed to say goodbye now?"

Willis gave me a slight grin back. "I guess so, Cooper."

I shot a look at the table full of officers across the hangar. "That going to be a problem?"

My husband chuckled as he slipped his arms around me and leaned his face in close. "Not if you don't mind."

I grinned. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that."

Willis kissed me then, deep and hard, and we didn't take in a breath until after I'd kissed him back. After that, we held each other for several minutes.

"I love you, Will," I said after a while.

"I love you, too, Natalie." He pressed his lips against my hair again and sighed. "Don't worry, Coop. It'll be fine. We'll make it back, and we'll see Gabe again. We'll both be here to raise him together, ok?"

I nodded into his chest. "Yeah, Will. Ok."

"I mean it, Cooper."

Though I was still unbelieving, I didn't say a word when Willis kissed me again.

"Good luck on the highway, and try to get through it as quick as you can, honey."

"I'll do my best. Good luck in the skies, Will."

With that, we finally pulled apart, and got set to lead our Marines and pilots into the war's final fight.


	48. Chapter 47: New Mombasa, Act I

**Chapter Forty-Seven: New Mombasa, Act I**

**0204 Hours, February 12, 2553. On Approach to the City of New Mombasa, Kenya. "The Warm Welcome," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-Nine of the Fate of Humanity**

_I hate ships. I hate ships. I. Hate. Ships._

I knew the mantra wasn't helping my nerves any, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. I'd hated being on transport ships of any kind ever since the first time my parents had moved to another planet from my hometown on Mars – new orders my dad had been forced to follow, and the family went with him. I remember I'd been three at the time. My younger brother Travis had been born a few months earlier, and my little sister Allison wasn't even a blip on the radar yet, though she'd be coming soon. Mark was seven and Jenna had been nine; they'd both been old enough and comfortable enough to not worry so much about the fact that we were helpless in a big bucket in space. But me, I'd freaked. My mom told me later that I'd spent most of the trip crying and getting sick, and begging to be placed back on firm soil.

The only reason I hadn't minded my second trip on a space vessel was because we'd been going back home to Mars, back to my hometown of Emerald Pines. That had been after my father's funeral, and Mom hadn't wanted to stay on the planet he'd been stationed at anymore. Too many memories of his death, she'd said, and she'd rather be home. So we went.

I never had to go on a ship again until I was eighteen, and I'd been rocketing off to Reach with Willis to attend the Naval Academy. That time I had Willis to help quell my anxiety and keep me calm; we'd been on a civilian transport, so he'd held my hand whenever we were out and about on the ship, then provided us both with some…_other_ forms of distraction once we were alone together in our room. At that point, I'd almost started to warm up to being on ships.

But once we'd graduated two years later, that was it. I no longer had a reason not to hate the ships and I had nothing to keep me from thinking about the fact that I was on one. When I shipped out to my first post on the planet Coristal, I wasn't glad to be going back home and Willis wasn't with me anymore. I was headed off to my very first fight with the Covenant, nervous and young and green as hell, and already missing my new husband. I'd probably hated that transport ship more than any other I'd ever been on, before or since.

The irony of the fact that I was married to a pilot who absolutely adored ships wasn't lost on me. But I still couldn't bring myself to find being in these flying buckets anything more than occasionally necessary – and even acknowledging that much was already a big step for me. The only thing I could do at present was try to hide my discomfort from the Marines surrounding me.

For now I held my submachine gun barrel-up between my knees, trying consciously not to grip it too hard, or turn over the wedding ring on my finger with my other hand too much, or push my slightly-past-regulation-length hair behind my ears too many times. Being an officer meant I couldn't afford to show anything but a cool and collected outward appearance; I didn't want my subordinates to pick up on my unease and make them start to panic themselves. So instead, I spent the time subtly watching the others.

Everyone had their own way of showing anxiety and fear – or, in very rare cases, a lack thereof – and my Marines were no exception. One of the older sergeants who'd been in the Corps probably since before I was born was asleep, arms folded across his chest and head leaned back against the hull of the Pelican as he dozed without a hint of worry about what we'd be going into soon. A young private to his left, on the other hand, was just beginning to pull off his helmet, and then I realized why when he quickly flipped it over in his lap and puked in it. Another still was tapping her boots incessantly on the floor of the troop bay, while the corporal beside her chewed gum with an equal amount of frenzy as he stared straight ahead.

In the meantime, I caught myself fiddling with my gold band again and immediately stopped, instead leaning back and crossing my arms just as the old master sergeant had. I took in a discreet but deep breath to force the nerves out, then closed my eyes.

Thirty-five more minutes passed in agonizing anticipation, during which time I ate two of my stashed energy bars and downed a quarter of the water in my canteen. Once we hit dirt, I had no idea when I'd get to eat next, so I figured it was best to start off with all the advantages I possibly could. It wasn't going to be much longer now till we reached the outskirts of New Mombasa.

I was just shoving the wrappers into one of my pockets when the Pelican suddenly banked hard to the right.

Luckily, the loose harnesses that kept us strapped into the seats were enough to stop the Marines on the left side from being thrown into the ones sitting on the right, but the abrupt motion was jarring nonetheless. Several of the men who'd dozed off woke up at once, reaching for their weapons almost instantly, only calming down when they saw that it was just the ship making evasive maneuvers.

Now I knew for sure that the initial fight was finally getting underway.

"Hang tight, Marines, and make sure your weapons are secured!" I cried over the roar of the Pelican's engines as I clung to the strap of my own gun. "This is going to be a hot landing!"

I resisted the urge to shut my eyes tight when I heard – and felt – the Pelican's mounted AIM-486H heavy machine gun open up against some obscured enemy aircraft just as I'd finished speaking. It was bothering me to no end that I couldn't see what was going on outside, and that I couldn't help do anything productive, either. The only thing I could do was sit there and hope to hell our pilot was at least half as skilled at flying as my husband was, and that he'd get us all down in one piece.

And hopefully not one giant, charred piece of wrecked hull, at that.

I couldn't help the grunt that was forcefully expelled from my lungs when the Pelican suddenly banked to port again, throwing me and the rest of my row of Marines back hard into the bulkhead. Since I'd chosen to leave my helmet hooked onto the straps above our heads rather than wear it on the trip, I didn't have anything to dampen the unexpected blow to my head, and it left me momentarily dazed with my ears ringing.

What I was more worried about, however, were the jiggling frag grenades on everyone's web belts. If even one of those burst from a hard impact in here, we were all toast.

Because of my rank, I'd been afforded a seat next to the intercom with a direct link to the cockpit, and once my head had cleared a bit from the sudden hit, I punched the button on the bulkhead beside me and yelled, "Carson! What the hell is going on out there, Lieutenant?"

"Banshees, Captain! A fucking lot of 'em!" came the frantic reply. "And we've got a couple Phantoms inbound!"

I felt my stomach drop then as the Pelican took a nosedive without warning, no doubt to avoid a burst of plasma fire on the part of the enemy aircraft outside. This time, my eyes shut hard out of pure reflex, and for a second I seriously wondered just how sane my husband really was to not only thrive in, but also _enjoy_ these types of aerial maneuvers. All it was making me at the moment was really, really sick, and I hoped to God I didn't make like a rookie in front of half of third platoon and throw up the bars I'd eaten.

I almost breathed a long sigh of relief when the craft finally leveled out, but thankfully I was able to stop myself in time. I could already feel dots of sweat forming on my forehead when the pilot's voice came through the small intercom again.

"Sorry about that, Captain," I heard the first lieutenant say. "Had to dodge some bolts, and I didn't have time to warn you."

"I understand, El-Tee," I replied. _I'm just glad we're still alive_. "Do we have an ETA to dirt yet, or are we still pretty far out?"

"We're about ten minutes out now, ma'am. A couple of the Pelicans ahead of us have actually already touched down. We're lucky; our LZ is just out of range for the first anti-aircraft plasma cannons, Captain, so it shouldn't be too bad."

_Well, at least there's something to be thankful for in this mess_, I thought.

But apparently the pilot had been a little too quick to speak. A moment later, I gripped my restraints hard as the Pelican did a full barrel roll, and the Banshees dogging it now were so close I heard their shrill whine even over the roar of the UNSC craft I was sitting in.

Then I felt a sudden heat at my back – a plasma bolt that'd grazed the hull so close it had momentarily heated the thick metal plating. The Pelican banked sharply to starboard again to avoid more enemy fire.

It wasn't quite fast enough.

The sudden hit on the outside of the Pelican threw all of us inside roughly against our harnesses, on both sides of the troop bay. Muffled groans and suppressed cries of surprise came from many of the Marines, especially the younger ones, and a couple other privates lost their midflight snacks on the narrow strip of floor between the two rows. The stench of vaporized air from the outside that circulated through the air filters in the cabin mingled with the new smells of sweat and vomit, and that wasn't helping to settle my own upset stomach in the least.

Still, I was glad the plasma bolt had only hit the hull and not the fuselage, or the whole ship would have burst into flames by now.

"Hold steady, Marines!" I shouted as I kept my eyes shut against further evasive maneuvers. "We've got eight minutes left to dirt, so just suck it up and hold on tight!"

Our craft continued to try to avoid the incoming plasma fire with various jarring twists and turns, throwing all of us here in the back to the left or right like ragdolls – or at least it would have if we hadn't been strapped into our seats. As it was, we were jerked hard into our restraints several more times until the pilot finally announced, "All right, Captain! This is it! Home stretch now, I'm just over the treetops!"

I tried not to show the utter relief I felt at the news on my face, but I really was just that glad.

It wasn't long then until I felt the craft's engines slow, and the Pelican eased into a not-quite-soft, but not-quite-abrupt, landing in the designated clearing seven klicks out from New Mombasa. My company and Charlie's were landing a little more inland to avoid the enemy defenses set up all along the coast, and it seemed that so far, besides the large Banshee welcoming committee, it had been a wise decision.

"Thanks for flying Carson Air, Captain," the pilot said cheerily through the intercom once we'd touched down. "Good luck as you go on to your final destination, ma'am."

I shook my head at the flyboy's quirky sense of humor, but said, "Yeah. You, too, Lieutenant."

_Will is lucky I met and fell in love with him back when we were both civilians_, I thought to myself then. _Otherwise, I can't see any way I would've been attracted to someone who likes ships as much as he does. _

Knowing I had more pressing issues to deal with at the moment, I pushed the thought from my mind with a concealed smirk. After having been together for over eight years now, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would've fallen for Willis no matter what the circumstances had been.

"All right, third platoon! Form up outside on me, now!" I yelled. I undid my harness quick before grabbing my helmet and jumping out into the tall, dark grass first. I felt beyond relieved to have my boots on the ground again.

I kept my helmet off as I slung my SMG over my shoulder, then rolled up the sleeves of my thin battledress jacket as I waited for the half-platoon to come off the ship. The African night here in Kenya was warm, and I was still sweating from the hairy ordeal of being trapped inside the Pelican – and besides that, I wanted my Marines to see my face while I gave the initial orders.

Once I'd made sure everyone was clear, I walked back up to the front of the Pelican and slammed the hull hard with the side of my fist, letting Lieutenant Carson inside know we were good to go and that he could take off. The pilot waited for me to get to a safe distance again, then gave a small wave while he lifted off into the sky.

As I turned to face my men again, I hoped Carson would survive flying through the tens of Banshees still circling above – and I hoped that, wherever Willis happened to be up there, he'd be ok as well.

"Marines, you know what to do now," I said when the sound of the Pelican's engines had died down. "We'll start heading for the rendezvous point in a loose patrol column. Spread out by fireteams, and spread out a little more by squads; there's still a hell of a lot of Banshees up there, and if they decide to go after us, we need to be sure their bolts hit as few as possible. Keep your eyes and ears sharp, too, because you can bet your ass that if there weren't any Covie ground patrols roving the area before, they'll definitely be sent out to look for us now. Let's move."

* * *

My Pelican had consisted of third platoon's first squad and half of second, while my XO had flown in with another Pelican containing the rest of his platoon. All of Bravo Company, however, was set to reunite within the hour at the designated RV point – a large, half-destroyed building three klicks outside the city. From there, we'd finally march into New Mombasa to see what was left of the UNSC ground forces there. If we found some units still alive, they'd be temporarily integrated into Bravo or Charlie Company. And if we found no one…we'd have to rely heavily on the aid of the ODSTs who were supposed to already be there.

Either way, by tomorrow morning, we'd be assaulting the roadblocks to get the convoy to Voi rolling.

Currently, I found myself breathing hard inside my helmet as we hiked uphill towards our objective. I knew the terrain would be all downhill from the RV point, since the maps I'd studied endlessly in the past week had shown that the land sloped a bit towards the coastline from there. But for now, it was a hard march in the dark with tall grass, large rocks, and heavy brush trying to prevent us from going forward.

I kept my submachine gun hanging on my shoulder and instead held out one of my combat knives, hacking away at the grass and some of the other vegetation to see if we could get through the LZ a little faster. When I heard a low pulsing sound suddenly coming from behind us, though, I sheathed my blade quick and brought my weapon to bear in an instant.

"Phantom inbound, Marines!" I whispered low into the platoon channel as I went down on one knee. "Squads, halt! Fireteam One, move it on up to recon, but take it slow."

The five men up at point winked green acknowledgment lights at me, and then I watched through my HUD as their labeled shapes stood and began to move quickly towards the clearing several meters ahead. I thought that that was logically where the Phantom was headed, so that it could land some troops between us and our intended route, but it turned out the enemy craft had other plans at the moment.

As soon as it got within range, it started strafing us.

"Take cover, third platoon, and keep your heads down!"

I managed to shout the order just as a huge, hot salvo of plasma pounded into the earth a few meters away. Though I'd been able to crouch low behind one of the scattered chunks of broken rock to protect myself from the enemy projectile, I still felt the wave of heat wash over the exposed parts of my arms. The impact reverberated through the field, throwing dirt and splintered wood and plant fragments high into the air before the now-scorched debris came back down on our positions. I heard several loose pieces _ping_ off my armor plates and helmet, but I counted myself lucky that there'd been nothing metal around for the plasma bolt to hit – I knew from experience that superheated shrapnel was the last thing you wanted falling on top of you.

The bombardment didn't end there, of course, and I continued to huddle tight against the large fragment of rock while the Phantom loosed four more salvos at us in quick succession. A couple of the sparse nearby trees were reduced to blackened craters or halved chunks of bark, and some of the sturdier, thicker ones started to catch fire. That definitely didn't help our situation any, since the LZ consisted of a high savannah full of mostly-dry brambles, all of which would ignite fast. It wouldn't take long for the whole sector to be set ablaze if the Phantom kept up its attack.

Thankfully, though, when the earth stopped shaking and I chanced a quick glance around, I saw that I'd been right in my earlier assumption: while the squad and a half of third platoon had stayed behind cover as I'd ordered, the Covenant troop carrier had kept us all pinned so that it could continue securely on its way to the clearing two hundred meters in front of us. By the time I felt it was safe enough to get up again and step cautiously out of cover, I could see with my HUD's zoom-in feature that the purple craft had just touched down.

"Third platoon, status, now," I said quickly over the COM channel, keeping my gun up and my eyes fixed on the enemy ship ahead. "And as soon as you're done with roll-call, I want the two snipers to set up somewhere here in the grass and aim for that Phantom. But hold your fire and wait for my mark, because I don't want you targeted as it's leaving. The rest of you, move up. We're gonna go take out those Covies the minute the ship's out of range."

Like the Marines around me, I started going forward while I listened to the fireteam leaders report their group's status – though a moment later, I ended up discovering our first two casualties on my own. Apparently two of my Marines, who'd only had enough warning to go prone in the grass rather than get behind more durable cover, had been too close to one of the plasma blasts. Not unlike the bombed-out trees, their corpses were charred, and their once-dark brown armor plates were now an opaque black. Taking in a steadying breath, I knelt beside them for a moment to check their pulses, then pulled off their tags to stick in my pockets when I found none. Both had been young privates, and I recognized the blonde one as the Marine who'd been tapping her boots against the floor of the Pelican our entire ride here.

_Poor kid._

I looked up when I felt someone grip my shoulder.

"Captain, I'll take it from here," third platoon's medic, Petty Officer First Class Erika Calden, said to me. She held out her hand for the dogtags I'd just taken off the Marines' bodies, and I handed them to her without a word before moving on.

_Jesus,_ I thought._ Not even three minutes into this op, and I've already gotten two newbies killed._

"Ma'am, the Phantom's taken off," I heard one of the snipers say over the open platoon channel then, interrupting my thoughts. "Looks like they landed a reinforced patrol's worth of aliens for us, Captain. Permission to engage?"

"Granted. Fire at will, Lance Corporal," I replied.

"Yes, ma'am."

I kept my gaze straight ahead as I continued to move forward with the rest of the half-platoon, watching as the lead fireteam took up positions in the last bits of brush and rock before the clearing. In the meantime, I saw several Grunts, Jackals, and Brutes already dispersing from their own LZ, scanning the wild grasses beyond for us.

There was a moment of silence then when all of us seemed to be holding our breaths, waiting for someone to take the first shot, and then I heard the sharp _crack_ of a sniper rifle burst through the air.

One of ours.

Two more _cracks_ echoed through the night, and a large Brute's helmet and skull split wide open in a spray of dark violet blood.

"Open up, third platoon!" I shouted into the COM channel before anyone else moved. "Let's go!"

Surprisingly, the Grunts and the Jackals were the first to react, separating from their leaders as some scurried around the clearing in fear, while the smarter ones took up defensive positions behind deployed shields or rocks. The Brutes, on the other hand, stayed back for another moment, letting out furious roars before charging through the brush.

The squads were ready for them and started firing immediately, but the beasts were big. A Brute who looked to be the leader went for the fireteam at point in seconds, slamming its massive fists down hard against the rocks the Marines had been using for cover and instantly reducing the stone to smaller pieces. The Covie then grabbed a corporal by his torso armor and flung him hard to the side, and made to go for another before three additional sniper rounds brought it bleeding to its knees. I took a second to watch the Marine who'd almost been crushed empty his clip into the alien's head to finish it off, then stood myself and sprinted forward into the fray.

I came up on a couple of the frightened, wildly running Grunts first, who quickly regained their faculties once they saw me level my submachine gun at them. I dove directly into the deep grass in front of me as two plasma bolts went sizzling past my head, then popped back up on one knee before they could fire again and rapidly squeezed the trigger of my SMG. Both of the smaller Covies jerked back as the rounds punctured their methane masks, and I continued pumping lead into their bodies until they'd fallen back to the ground, dead, pale blue blood erupting from bullet-induced wounds.

"Calden!" I yelled into the COM channel then as I rose up to head for the next targets. "Get to that Marine who got tossed, Doc, and get there now! I want a report on his condition five minutes ago!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

I hoped against hope that the thrown corporal was still ok, but kept running fast through the grass till I'd reached some suitable cover. The air was thick now with plasma rounds, needler fire, and bullets, so I tried to stay a little more cautious this time.

And it was a good thing I did, because one of the Grunts still in the back of the clearing had just managed to set up its plasma cannon. Now ready to fire, I watched as the small alien moved to get behind the automatic gun.

"Snipers, I need that cannon offline! Do it fast!"

I ducked my head then as the little bastard decided to go straight for me first, and as I hugged the dirt hard, I knew I was cooked. The first viable cover I'd managed to find hadn't been a nice, solid boulder like most of my Marines had gotten behind by now, but one of the thicker-looking patches of vegetation. Without so much as a tree stump nearby to scamper to, I was forced to press my helmeted head sideways to the ground to avoid the incoming fire, all while keeping the rest of my body as low as possible.

I felt the heat of one of the plasma rounds finally graze the back of my torso armor, and while the minor impact wasn't enough to injure or hurt, it flipped me sideways for a moment before I landed belly-up in some shrubs.

For a terrifying moment, I remembered when I'd been in the forest on Heath: everything engulfed in flames and dead charred Marines lying everywhere and Covenant on approach from the front and the sides and the back - and as I'd been concentrating on those rushing at me in front, I'd been struck hard in the back with a searing overcharged plasma bolt. The same one that had ultimately landed me in the intensive care unit for over thirty days of treatment. The wound from the battle I still had nightmares about more than one year later.

Even as I heard the _cracks_ of the sniper rifle go over my head and force the plasma cannon to go silent, I was already part of that other world, reliving that horrifying moment in the past where I'd gotten my entire back roasted, and I couldn't seem to get myself to return to the present. I felt my breathing coming in shallow and fast, and whenever I opened my tightly shut eyes for a moment, I ended up catching sight of the smoldering trees behind us at the LZ. A cold panic gripped my insides as I found myself suddenly unable to differentiate this current picture from the hellish scene I'd lived through on Heath. By the time I opened my eyes again to the sight of one of my Marines' faces, I was thrashing and trying desperately to get my suffocating helmet off my head.

"Whoa, whoa! Captain, you're not hit! You're not hit, ma'am!"

The voice was gruff and male; now that my helmet was off, I was able to clearly hear his words. I lay there for several seconds as the fighting continued around us, concentrating hard on taking in deep breaths of fresh night air as I felt an icy sweat roll down my face. It helped calm me down again, enough to the point where I was finally back in the present.

When I eventually paused to look into the Marine's dark eyes, I saw that it was the old master sergeant who'd been asleep in the Pelican. He seemed to be breathing hard, too, and looked at me with eyes that were neither concerned nor questioning – but understanding.

He gave me a hard pat on the shoulder as he remained crouched over me. "You're all right, kid. Old memories are rough, I know, but you're ok and you're not hit. Think you can get up, Captain?"

I shut my eyes hard for a second, took in one last deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah. I can get up," I said. Then I gave a disgusted snort. "Christ. I thought only my husband would ever have to deal with me like this. I get these nightmares all the time at home that wake him up in the middle of the night. But I never thought it would happen this…intensely in the field. While I was awake."

"I won't tell, ma'am. Seen a lot of other young combat officers come out worse off than you."

He patted my shoulder hard again, then moved on back towards the skirmish. I wasn't sure whether to think the odd encounter had been beneficial or detrimental, since he'd stopped me from freaking out, but, by the same token, he'd _witnessed_ me freaking out. And he was my subordinate.

I was a captain. I was company commander. I was in charge. I was supposed to be above the paralyzing effects of post-traumatic stress. But it seemed I wasn't, and it worried me that something like this had happened in the middle of a firefight.

But for now, I didn't waste any more time dwelling on it. I didn't have the luxury of laying here and contemplating my mental state, so I got up as the master sergeant had suggested and brought my gun to bear once more.

"Doc, where's that report on the corporal?" I said into the COM channel once I had my helmet back on – as much to assert my control over the situation again as to really find out what was happening.

"He took a nasty hit, ma'am, but he's alive," Doc Calden informed me. "Three broken ribs on the side he landed on and a mild concussion. Got him all patched up now, though, Captain."

"Glad to hear it, Doc. Keep me posted on anything else that comes up."

"Yes, ma'am."

I cut the connection then and turned on the leftover group of Covies still harassing the squads, but the moment I raised my weapon to take aim, I was suddenly knocked hard to the side by something rigid and translucent. Luckily I had my helmet on again, so the only damage the blow dealt was to throw me back on the ground with my head spinning. Yet still, it was enough for the Jackal who'd attacked me to bring its plasma pistol out from behind the shield it'd struck me with and aim its gun at my chest.

Knowing I didn't even have the time or the room to use any of my weapons, I struck out with my boots instead, kicking the Jackal solidly in the legs to bring the Covie down. I turned over fast just as the plasma pistol discharged, but since the aim was already off, the flaming-hot bolt crackled harmlessly against the dirt.

Now that the fight was a little more even with both of us on the ground, I pulled out my other combat knife from its sheath above my left boot and threw myself bodily against the Jackal with an angry snarl. Even with all my weight behind the attempted stab, however, I wasn't able to get far once the Covie brought its shield up to defend itself. It squawked like a crazed bird at me, threw me off, and tried to hit me again.

It missed.

Since I'd lost my knife in the scuffle, I used my feet a second time to gain the upper hand, this time by pinning down the Jackal's shield arm as I reached for my pistol instead. I cocked the weapon fast, trying hard to keep the Jackal from twisting out from under my boots, and quickly fired four shots into its stomach. The Jackal let out a high-pitched squeal as blood erupted from its abdomen, and then, finally, the alien went silent and still.

I was breathing hard again when kicked at the lifeless Covie's shield to free my legs. I could feel the adrenaline from the fight still coursing through my body, keeping me amped up in case the Jackal wasn't really dead yet and I had to go on the offensive again, but I fired one last round into its head with my sidearm to be sure it didn't get up. After that, I took a moment to search for my lost knife, put it back in its sheath as I had with the one at my hip when we'd first landed, and then secured and holstered my pistol.

As I pulled my submachine gun back into my hands, I realized I couldn't see much out of my visor anymore, so I pushed it up. The Jackal's blood had splattered onto my tinted faceplate when I'd shot at it, so until I had the chance to wipe it down properly, I'd have to keep it raised.

The platoon channel suddenly crackled to life as I got back to my feet.

"Captain? The area's been secured, ma'am. All hostiles from the Phantom have been eliminated, and we're awaiting orders."

That was Sergeant Orson's voice, leader of third platoon's first squad and up at point with the head fireteam. I took in a breath before answering.

"Acknowledged, Sergeant. Let's strip the Covies' bodies for any useful equipment, and then you can continue to lead the way towards the rendezvous point."

"Understood, Captain. Relaying your orders now, ma'am."


	49. Chapter 48: New Mombasa, Act II

**Chapter Forty-Eight: New Mombasa, Act II**

**0246 Hours, February 12, 2553. Near the City of New Mombasa, Kenya. "The Dark Side," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-Nine of the Fate of Humanity**

I started to feel a harsh ache in my shoulder as we continued hiking up the hill, trying to stay low in the tall grass and duck behind any cover we could find to keep out of sight. Banshees were still arching all across the sky above us, and while a number of Hornets had now joined the squadron of Pelicans assigned to our initial air defense, that didn't mean that the occasional Covie ship didn't get through. We'd been strafed three more times at various intervals, thankfully without casualties, before Pelicans had come swooping in to rescue us. Still, the march had been treacherous on its own, and I was glad we were now just a klick away from our RV point.

_Fucking Jackal_, I thought as I flexed my hurt shoulder. The alien's shield had been wide enough to catch me in both the head and the shoulder when it had slammed into me, and now my bashed side was really making itself felt. For now, I figured I'd try to remember not to sling my gun on that arm anymore, and hoped the tenderness would dissipate if I didn't use the muscle for a while.

Since we hadn't had any enemy activity from above in several minutes, I decided to check in with the fireteam up in front. "Orson? How're things looking at point, Sergeant?"

"Quiet, ma'am. I don't see any Banshees taking any undue interest, and the only Phantom I can think of that might've been trouble was the one that was shot down two klicks back. Shouldn't be too long to the RV now, Cap – "

I heard a sound like a thin arrow finding its mark in flesh, then a number of crystalline bursts, one right after the other. Sergeant Orson's astonished grunt was loud over the COM channel.

"Third platoon, halt!" I cried into the radio. "Everybody hit the dirt, now! Doc, take two men and see what you can do for Orson. Double-time it!"

Though I couldn't see the threat from here, I slowly moved up, too – I'd been at the center of the loose patrol column, so I had to crawl on my stomach between the high grasses to try to get up to the point squad. I held my submachine gun tight to my chest, listening for more sounds of enemy fire over my heavy breathing and the rush of my pounding pulse.

I hugged the earth again a few seconds later when the hidden Covie suddenly opened up with its needler again. The burst was longer now, but judging by the silence over the COM, no one had been hit. I quickly checked my motion tracker and IR to see if I could pick up the gunner.

There they were. Two red dots near the crest of the hill. The damn Covenant had set up a small but fortified observation post right where we'd designated our rendezvous point.

_Dammit._

I continued even more cautiously through the lines until I'd reached the Marines just behind the men at point. From here, I could now see what had happened to the sergeant.

Orson was lying on the ground a few meters in front of me, being looked over by two Marines from his fireteam on either side of him. They were trying desperately to get the bright red fluid spouting from his neck to stop, but the noncom was panicking too much. I could hear the wet gurgles bubbling up from his mouth as he frantically clutched at his wound, his whole body twisting and turning in shock and fear.

I took in a deep breath and shut my eyes for a moment against the ugly scene. Africa was already turning out to be a bitch of a place, and we weren't even into the official operation yet.

"Calden, where the hell are you? Orson needs help, Doc, or he's gonna drown in his own damn blood!" I whispered urgently into the COM channel.

"On my way, Captain!"

The medic and her escorts finally came up on the left side as I gave orders to the half-platoon's two snipers to take discreet aim at the enemy OP. I could still see the twin red dots on my motion tracker indicating the enemy positions, but I couldn't determine what they were yet. I guessed one was a Grunt because of Orson's needler wound, but I knew it could've easily been a different alien.

Petty Officer Calden had just reached Sergeant Orson when one of the snipers radioed me back.

"I see 'em, ma'am. There's two Covies up on that hill. One's a Grunt keeping watch on this side of the approach, and the other's a Brute. The big bastard's sittin' there at the top behind a shielded plasma cannon, Captain. I can't get a shot."

My blood suddenly ran cold at the information. That meant if Calden got up to treat Orson, she'd be right in their line of –

"Doc! Keep your head dow – !"

Too late.

The plasma cannon opened fire just as Calden had gotten up on one knee to pull out her medical supplies. The rapid burst of white-hot rounds rained down on her mercilessly, hitting her three, four, five times in the chestplate before her body bucked back toward the grassy ground. Vaporized air and roasted skin permeated my olfactory senses in an instant, and I heard a choking sound as the medic's limp body fell to the dirt with a thump.

"Fuck!" I shouted inside my helmet, remembering to cut off all channels before I did so. I pounded my fist into the ground beneath me and bent my head for a moment, trying to get a grip on the situation. I had a Marine with a severed carotid artery bleeding out in front of me, a dead medic killed by enemy fire when she'd tried to help, and now I had to quickly calm myself down and try to figure out what to do next. The snipers were no help either, because they couldn't get a shot.

And I had to somehow get half a platoon's worth of Marines safely to the top of an enemy position – while the Covies clearly had the advantage of being on higher ground.

_No one ever said the final fight would be easy_, I thought to myself. _But I've gotta do this, to get my men out of here alive and get rid of the Covies so I can go back home to my son. To my little Gabe._

"Third platoon, sit tight!" I said into the platoon channel then. "Tucker and Limm, keep pressure on the sergeant's wound. See if one of you can scrounge some biofoam in Doc's bag and patch up that neck. Fireteam Two!"

The Marines beside me turned their faceplates in my direction. "Ma'am?"

"Hug the dirt and follow me. We're gonna go flank that gunner."

I started slithering through the grass again, trying to go as fast as I could while keeping myself low to the ground. The last thing the squads needed right now was for their only officer to take a hit as well.

Not that I was itching to get shot, either.

Luckily, though, the elements were cooperating with us for once – a moderate wind had picked up since we'd dispatched the Covies from the Phantom, so with the long blades of grass swaying all across the area like small ocean waves, our own movements through the savannah were covered…to an extent.

"Watch your fire and stay tight," I ordered the fireteam as I continued moving. "There's two Covies up there, but we _have_ to eliminate the gun emplacement first. The Grunt's not going to be a problem once the Brute's down."

The five Marines behind me acknowledged, and then I made the subtlest of motions for them to halt behind me.

From this new angle, I could just barely see the top of the Brute's head peeking out from the side of the shield. I could tell the Covie was being cautious as well, since it turned in its seat slowly, surveying the area below for the Marines it knew was there, but waiting for a visible target in order to let loose with the cannon once more. Normally vigilance in the field was what saved you, but in this case, it gave my Marines and I a decent shot for longer than usual for a gunner behind a shielded emplacement.

So as not to attract the Brute's attention, I stayed low while I tried to quickly slither backwards. All this time of pulling my weight forward with my elbows was killing my injured shoulder, but I ignored it for the time being as best I could and turned to face the Marines at my side.

"I need a battle rifle, fast," I commanded, slinging my SMG on my good side. The Brute wasn't really that far, but my own weapon wasn't going to be accurate at this range. "The rest of you, stay the hell down until I order otherwise. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," came their whispered replies through the COM channel.

I nodded as a corporal to my right handed me his BR55. _I sure hope none of them accidentally gets exposed by the wind_, I thought to myself as I slowly crawled back up to my previous position_. If that Brute notices one of them behind me while I'm taking the shot, I'm done for. _

Once I had the gun where I wanted it, rifle butt pressed hard against my bad shoulder while I kept the barrel firm and steady in my left hand, I eased my face in close to the weapon's scope and peered through the sights. My raised visor made taking aim a little harder than if I'd had the aid of my HUD, but I didn't have another choice. I took in a deep breath, waited a second longer to get my shot lined up, then pulled the trigger.

The three-round burst hit the Covie dead-on, right on the exposed side of its helmeted head with a loud metallic _ping_. But one burst wasn't enough to penetrate, and even though I squeezed the trigger a second time less than an instant later, the Brute had already recovered and swiveled its plasma cannon toward me fast. With its own body now concealed behind the weapon's shield, my burst did nothing but cause a ripple in the translucent barrier to mark the impact.

I knew now without a doubt that I was dead.

Just as I gripped my rifle hard and shut my eyes out of reflex, however, two more shots rang out in rapid succession – sniper rounds.

When the alien had turned to target me, it'd left itself exposed to the rest of the half-platoon still lying in wait to the side and below us. Though I would've bought it for sure if the timing hadn't been precisely right, I realized now that I'd inadvertently given my snipers the shot they hadn't been able to get earlier.

With one round going through its neck and the other through its jaw, the large beast slumped sideways off its gun emplacement, incapacitated, while the inside of the shield got instantly blotted with its dark purple blood.

Turning around fast to hand my battle rifle back to the corporal who'd lent it to me, I opened up a channel to the squads with me and said, "Move it up quick, Marines, and let's get to the peak!"

I didn't want my snipers to waste their precious ammo on the lone Grunt still keeping watch on the top of the hill, so I ordered them off the shot and got up quick from the grass myself and ran towards it. The Covie was now aware of my position anyway, and it'd been momentarily stunned from seeing its commander felled, so I decided to take action before it did.

I pulled my submachine gun back into my hands as I sprinted up the grass, keeping the dull throbbing of my hurt shoulder out of my mind only because the adrenaline surging through me was stronger. I had a Navy corpsman and two dead Marines to avenge now, possibly – probably – three, so just as the shocked Grunt leveled its needler down at me, I pulled the trigger of my own weapon first and let loose.

This close, the rounds ripped through the small alien's midsection, blood spurting quick even as its body remained suspended in the air a moment before jerking back. The Grunt let out a single agonized yelp, but fell silent a moment later when it hit the ground.

Continuing my quick rush up to the crest of the hill, I kept my gun in my hands nonetheless, bringing the SMG to bear and coming to a halt once I was standing at the top.

Much to my surprise, the rest of the OP – at least on this side – looked clear. I stepped over the Grunt's corpse and made my way to the plasma cannon then to see if the Brute was really dead.

As I heard the sounds of the rest of my half-platoon of Marines charging through the grass behind me, I walked up cautiously to the large Covie's body. The Brute was lying just to the side of its stationary gun, blood still seeping from its wounds, but I could tell by its rage-filled eyes and snarling grimace that it wasn't quite gone yet.

"Pathetic…human," it said to me. "You believe you can…escape the coming end? The fools like…you will be the first…to die."

The thing shut up quick when I drove my combat boot hard into its still-bleeding face. It grunted as the strike hit against its half-blown off jaw, but then the Brute let out a low, growling sound of satisfaction.

"Yes. You will learn…the hard way. Your end is approaching, human. Something you…cannot stop."

"You mean _your_ end, you piece of shit," I spat back. Fury at its words rising up within me, I pointed the barrel of my weapon downward and emptied the remainder of my clip into its head.

I kicked the Brute's body hard again once it was dead, just to ease some of my swelling anger, then turned back to face my squads. "Tucker, Limm, set Sergeant Orson down on that long slab of rock over here by the plasma gun so we can try to get him stabilized. The rest of you, I want a loose perimeter around the platform, now. Looks like we're the first ones here, so sit tight and dig in."

Hearing the slight edge lingering in my voice, the Marines moved fast to execute my commands. In the meantime, I slung my SMG behind my back and waited for the two privates to bring over their badly wounded sergeant.

"Well? How is he?" I asked once Orson, eyes closed, was on lying on the slab. The noncom's face looked white as snow and there were fresh red stains all over the front of his uniform, but at least his blood wasn't pulsing out his neck anymore.

Although, that made me wonder.

The older brown-haired private, Limm, shook his head at my question. "I don't know, ma'am. We grabbed a dose of morphine and some bandages from Doc's pack, injected Sarge and slapped a gauze pad over his wound, but he was bleeding so much…"

"And he was choking on it, ma'am," Tucker added. His hair was a few shades darker than Limm's, but his face was as pale as the sergeant. "We don't know how much he's got left in his throat blocking his airway, Captain."

Before I said anything else, I quickly leaned over and pulled up one of Orson's sleeves to check his pulse at his wrist since his neck was torn up. After more than a minute, there was still nothing. I leaned my face in close over his next, to see if I could hear him taking in shallow breaths or see his chest rise. Nothing; Sergeant Orson was stiff and still.

"Dammit," I said, shutting my eyes hard for a moment as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "He's fucking dead."

Limm went white for the first time, and Tucker paled even more.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I'm sorry, we tried to – " the younger private stuttered, but I cut him off with a raised hand.

"I know, Private. I wasn't holding out much hope for him, anyway. You did what you could." Still, even when I'd seen the medic get killed in front of me, I'd held out an irrational hope that the sergeant would live. That brought the tally up to four dead in less than an hour since we'd landed.

Between that awful knowledge and the fact that my system was now winding down after the adrenaline rush of the skirmish, I shook my head, feeling suddenly drained, and said, "Just grab his tags and get back to the line. Did you pick up Doc's, too?"

Tucker was hesitant to answer, but let out what he thought was a discreet sigh of relief when Limm nodded.

"Yes, ma'am, I got it," the older private replied.

"Give me both. I'll hand them over to Doc Reynolds when first platoon shows up." _If he shows up _went through my head, but I suppressed that thought and moved on to my next task instead – trying to hail anyone else who might be close to the RV point now.

I took the two sets of dogtags the privates gave me and placed them both in the breast pocket of my uniform jacket, then opened a localized COM channel as I watched Limm and Tucker get back to their fireteam. "Bravo Company, this is Captain Cooper. If any of the other Pelican teams are a hundred meters out from the rendezvous point or less, respond."

There was a long crackle of static on the line, and for a moment I was afraid I wasn't going to get a reply. But then, finally, I heard a jumbled voice break through.

"Cap…this is…tenant Hillburn, ma'am. I've got all of…irst platoon rounded up now. We're…few meters…other side of…Captain."

"Got it, Hillburn. Can you hear me, Lieutenant? Your message was a little broken up."

"…es, ma'am. Read you loud…clear, Captain."

"Repeat your position, Lieutenant. Didn't catch that last. And are there any hostiles on your end?"

"Few…ostiles, Captain, but…ook care of 'em. First platoon's…other side of the building, ma'am."

"Acknowledged. Any casualties so far, El-Tee?"

"Five casual…between…whole platoon, ma'am."

I sighed. _Well, it's not as bad as I feared, but not as good as I hoped, either. _"Understood. Stay put where you are, Hillburn. I'll be coming up on your six with half of third platoon now, so don't shoot. Is that clear?"

"…es, ma'am. I hear you. First plat…will hold fire."

"Good. See you in a few then. Cooper out."

* * *

The area that made up the RV point – the partially bombed-out building on the hill three klicks from the city – was much broader than the maps I'd studied had indicated, so I was surprised that it took my half-platoon and I about ten minutes to get to the other side. One of the first things I noticed before First Lieutenant Hillburn walked up to me were the blackened remains of the three plasma cannons that had apparently been protecting this direction of attack; it seemed the Covies' observation post was also larger than I'd thought.

Folding my arms across my chest as I looked out at the view beyond the guns, with the once-bustling mega-port sprawled below and the dark, unnaturally amber-tinged waters of the coastline hitting the shore beside it, I spoke. "So this is what we came here to help liberate, huh?"

With its placement right near the ocean, I could see how New Mombasa could've been a beautiful city once. But it seemed that since its takeover by the Covenant, the water and sky had been utterly polluted, and the streets within the city were sure to be not much more than rubble now.

"Yes, ma'am," the youngest platoon leader replied. "I guess so, Captain."

Beyond its being one of Earth's most important port cities, I couldn't imagine what the Covenant would want here that they couldn't just as easily attain somewhere else. There were hundreds of vital port cities on this planet, so why New Mombasa? And, after that, why Voi?

I couldn't quite lay my finger on it, but for now I decided that that wasn't my concern. I'd been sent here to do a job, and regardless of why the enemy was here, I would do it. I turned back to Hillburn.

"I see first platoon had quite a handful of resistance," I said, gesturing to the destroyed Covie gun emplacements.

"Yes, ma'am," Hillburn repeated. A slight smirk formed on the corner of her mouth, but it was fleeting and faint. "Those were a bitch and a half to take out, Captain, but we managed with some grenades and some maneuvering."

"Good work, kid."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Any other activity since you've been here?"

She shook her head. "No, ma'am. I had first platoon set up a perimeter as soon as we got up here, and we didn't hear anything until you hailed us, Captain."

I nodded before turning away from the cityscape. "All right. Just maintain the perimeter for now, then, and let me know if anything out of the ordinary pops up."

"Yes, ma'am."

Despite my reservations about promoting Hillburn when Bravo Company had been stationed in Portoviejo before the attack, it seemed that, at least up till now, she was doing ok with her role as platoon leader. This being her third official campaign now, though, I hoped she wouldn't dismiss what she'd learned from previous battles like she seemed to have done in Austria, when we'd been fighting the Flood. I supposed I would just have to wait and see.

My thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice suddenly came through the COM channel.

"Captain? Is that you?"

For the first time since we'd landed, I allowed myself a small grin in the direction of the new group of Marines coming up the hill to our left. I'd just noticed the green dots approaching on my HUD, since I'd wiped off my faceplate now. "Sure is, buddy. It's good to see you made it here in one piece, Dean."

He let out a light chuckle. "I can assure you no one is more grateful for that than I am, ma'am."

"So? Can I get a report on your half of third platoon while you get your men back together?"

His tone sobered considerably. "Three KIA, Captain. Lost one in the initial skirmish, two more as we made our way here."

I didn't know why I kept hoping the landings would have gone better, but I did. "Got it. Go ahead and get third platoon to join first in keeping up the perimeter then, Lewis, and we'll wait for second platoon. Don't get too comfortable, though, 'cause we move out again as soon as they get here."

"Understood, Captain."

Now that all that was out of the way and with little to do until Lieutenant Frederick showed up with second, I was finally able to go look for Doc Reynolds. He was technically the medic for first platoon, so he continued to deploy with them, though since Bravo Company had lost second platoon's medic on Heath before I'd transferred over and never been given a replacement – no matter how much I and Captain Kingston before me had asked for one – Reynolds pulled double duty sometimes.

Of course, now that Doc Calden was gone, too, he was all we had. And even though Reynolds was the best, one medic to three platoons wasn't enough.

"Hey, Doc," I said as I approached.

He gave me a slight nod of acknowledgment. "Ma'am. How's your stomach wound treating you? Any problems recently?"

I shook my head. "Still burns like hell on occasion with certain movements, but for the most part, I think I'm doing better now. Only thing to do now is to wait for the cut to heal up fully so I can get that scar removed."

Though I knew that that wound had also left a mental scar that would never fully heal – and one that I could never get removed, either. I'd had Willis's and my second child growing in there until I'd gotten stabbed.

Not wanting to travel down that worn and painful path, I swallowed hard and pushed the thought aside. "Anyway, that's not what I came to see you for. I know your pockets must be full of these already judging by the reports I've gotten, but…I've got a few more for you."

I unbuttoned the top pocket of my battledress jacket and pulled out the four sets of dogtags inside. Reynolds looked them over with a slight frown, until he saw Doc Calden's. Then he looked surprised.

"Jesus, Captain. Her, too?"

"Yeah, Doc. I'm sorry to say it, but you're it now, Michael. You're Bravo's very last line of defense between injury and death."


	50. Chapter 49: New Mombasa, Act III

**Chapter Forty-Nine: New Mombasa, Act III**

**0457 Hours, February 12, 2553. City of New Mombasa, Kenya. "The Luck of the Draw," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-Nine of the Fate of Humanity**

The streets of New Mombasa weren't like the ones of Cote D'Azur, full of dazed, ambling civilians. Any civvies who'd been here before the invasion began back in August were long evacuated or dead by now, and I was sure that the burial squads had already been through here months ago to remove the bodies of the unfortunate. But neither were the streets devoid of anything that hinted at the previous comfortable existence people had enjoyed in the city, like Salzburg had been.

Kenya was different.

It was almost like the middle ground between the extremes – there was evidence of the life that had once been lived here, but the scenery it displayed now made it clear that that was no longer the case, that the circumstances were now permanently changed. The civilian bodies may have been long gone, but there were other corpses that now littered most of the eerie-quiet blocks instead. A lot of dead Covies, but also – predominantly – a lot of dead Marines.

I took in an unsteady breath inside my helmet, grateful for the barrier I had between my filtered air and the tainted one outside. We'd known the fighting here had been fierce before we arrived. We'd even known that we were being sent in because most, if not all, of the UNSC forces that had already been posted here had been taken out or overrun. But I couldn't say I'd been ready for something like this.

"No sign of the parasite, human," Atalom 'Kuatee commented beside me as I glanced around, seemingly unperturbed by the awful view. "While they can appear at any time at any place, it is good we have not come across their kind yet. Still, we must remain vigilant."

I nodded without saying anything in reply. As if it weren't disturbing enough to walk through the streets of an utterly devastated city full of dead in the dark, early hours of the morning, I also had to worry about the Flood showing up.

"Cooper?"

Though I was slightly startled by the voice suddenly flooding my helmet over the COM channel, I tried my best not to let it show. Keeping my eyes scanning the block ahead, I gripped my submachine gun tighter and answered, "Yeah, Hayden, I'm here. Go ahead."

Captain Hayden didn't release a long sigh as I'd expected him to, or relay the fact that the sector of the city his company had been dropped into was just as dismal-looking as mine was. Instead, he surprised me with some much-needed good news. "Charlie's just made contact with one of the ODST platoons that came in ahead of us, Natalie. This place is definitely looking the worse for wear, but it looks like the Helljumpers've been able to give us a pretty decent head start on clearing out some of the smaller pockets of resistance." He finally let out the sigh I knew would come; there was always a catch to any lucky break we managed to get, so I listened as he continued. "The larger ones have proved tougher to crack, though, so that's something we're going to have to coordinate if we want to get to the roadblocks within the next couple hours. Anyway, keep moving forward for now, and let me know if you run into anymore troopers. I'll give you additional orders once I talk to the CO of the ODST group."

"Got it, Oliver. How've the streets been looking so far on your end?"

"Pretty damn quiet, actually…except for the bodies. You?"

"Same. It was a mess getting to the RV point, but since we've been in the city, nothing much. Although that makes me more nervous than if we'd been attacked from the start. The Covie bastards are up to something, Hayden."

"Don't I know it, Cooper. Stay sharp and keep in touch. Hayden out."

I glanced over at 'Kuatee once Captain Hayden cut the connection and gestured at the landscape. "No Flood yet, huh? Well, I'm inclined to approach this the way you do, alien boy. Hope for the best but expect the worst." I heard the Elite let out a snort as I opened a COM channel of my own. "Bravo Company, this is where we split up. I want second and third platoons on the flanks, first platoon out in front. We're going to be making our way to the main roadblock north of our position, where we'll regroup again, and see if we can't pick up some Helljumpers along the way to back us up. Remember that our objective right now is to get to the highway, _not _clear out the city. So try to keep a low profile and only engage when absolutely necessary. Questions?"

The COM remained silent.

"Good. First platoon, fall in behind me then and let's get moving. Frederick and Lewis, I want updates every half-hour on how your platoons are faring. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," came the automatic replies in unison.

Satisfied with how things were set up, I began to lead first platoon up the street, quick but cautious, with 'Kuatee watching my six. Going down yet another deserted alley, I held my hand up in a fist and crouched when we reached the end. Based on the maps I'd been going over all this week, most of these back roads opened up to much larger street squares – and that was likely where most of the fortified Covie positions were.

"Rear guard, watch the rooftops for movement. Point squad, form up on me. The rest of you sit tight and keep your eyes peeled. Fire only if you have a clear target – we can bypass a lot of trouble if we stay under the Covies' radar."

Pressing my back hard against the side of the building that formed the entryway out into the square, I took a deep breath and slowly edged closer to the corner to get a look of the area beyond. So far my HUD didn't register any hostiles, but I'd gone without it enough times in recent months that I'd learned to trust my own instincts more than my helmet's electronics. And my instincts told me that this wasn't just another dead street.

I watched Atalom approach now on the opposite side, lifting his particle beam rifle with mechanical precision as he took a look down its sights.

"Atom?" I whispered, wondering if he was seeing anything out of the ordinary.

He shook his head almost imperceptibly, but returned to his task of scanning nonetheless. Relieved by his response, I did the same.

I got to the corner of the long wide arch I was standing under and checked the right side before leaning over to get a look at the left. In the meantime, 'Kuatee moved up accordingly, tagging the right in case any Covies suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blew me away while I scanned the other side. Before I was able to assess the open square, however, I heard a sudden burst from a BR55 behind me. The sound ripped loud through the quiet streets, and I immediately ducked back into the archway, fuming.

"First platoon, I said hold your damn fire! Who the hell was that?"

There was a moment of hesitation over the COM, but then a timid voice replied, "L-Lance Corporal Avard, ma'am."

"You'd better have a damn good excuse for breaking silence, Lance Corporal. The whole Covie fucking army would've heard that."

"I'm…I'm sorry, Captain. I thought…I thought I saw a Jackal up on the roof but…it was some trash picked up by the wind, ma'am."

"Lieutenant Hillburn!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Keep your Marines in check, Lieutenant, or you will be relieved of command, do you understand?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"I can't have jumpy replacements shooting at the wind and revealing our position over a piece of wandering trash. When I say maintain a low profile except in an extreme circumstance, I mean it, Hillburn. And within your platoon, it's your job to make sure my orders get obeyed."

"Yes, ma'am."

I didn't have time to say anything else. As if summoned, a group of Grunts had suddenly appeared on the far side of the street when I turned back. The Covies saw me at the same time I saw them, and I went instantly into a low crouch and fired.

The rapid spray of bullets had the small aliens scrambling for cover, but ultimately they were still a little too far out of range for my gun. I cursed under my breath and, after taking another quick look around to get an updated view of my surroundings, I risked sprinting for the next bit of cover. As I kept my chest pressed against my raised knees, SMG held tight, I leaned over the edge of the half-blown out car I'd run to and glanced back. 'Kuatee had stayed where he was on the other side of the archway, but he fired three pulses of purple light from his sniper weapon. The three Grunts down the street squealed.

"Hillburn!" I shouted through the COM then, noticing a number of red dots pop up on my HUD out of nowhere. "Get first platoon up to the archway and spread out into the street! There's plenty of cover out here, Lieutenant, so use it!" _Plenty of cover left over by the dead who'd formerly held these positions, that is._

Mentally shaking my head to rid myself of the thought, I looked up and across the once-empty street and saw where the red dots were coming from. There was a small covered side-alley between shops, and the Covenant were making full use of it, spilling out into the open now, as if they'd been waiting patiently there all along for us to approach.

Probably, they had been. And the lance corporal's wayward shot had just alerted them to our presence.

A Jackal's sniper round sizzled above my head as it struck the top of the wrecked car I was hiding behind, denting the already-thrashed hood of the sedan. I threw myself instantly to the dusty ground, coughing a little as some of the airborne debris entered my lungs before my helmet's filtration systems could compensate. In the moment of haze I heard 'Kuatee let out a combination growl-moan behind me, and I turned back to see his translucent outer shield flickering white. The Jackal's second round had apparently struck him.

"Atom!"

"I am unhurt, human! Keep your focus on the others, they are on fast approach!"

I could tell by the strain in the alien's voice that he was anything but uninjured, yet I didn't have a choice. Atalom was right; the Covies pouring out the building needed to be taken out, and they were moving fast. But still, none of us could move until that Jackal on the rooftop was gone.

"Lance Corporal Avard!"

"C-Captain!"

"Now's the time to use that weapon of yours, Marine. Target that Jackal and take 'im down!"

I could have done it myself if I'd been equipped with a longer-barreled weapon, but as it was, if I popped out to lay some fire on the Jackal from afar, it wouldn't do anything but reveal my position and make it easier for the Covie to kill me. So I kept myself low to the ground, ordering the rest of the platoon to do the same, and hoped our last surviving replacement would take care of the Jackal as well as he'd taken care of the imaginary trashbag enemy.

I watched from my low position as the lance corporal dove behind a concrete planter ahead of me in the street. The Jackal on the rooftop fired another tight beam, this time at Avard, but the Marine was already well behind cover now. Without emerging from cover myself, I raised my SMG high above my head and fired a blind burst, trying to draw the Covenant sniper's attention back to me so the lance corporal could get a shot.

It worked. I felt a heated pulse pierce the air between my arms, giving them a momentary sunburned sensation, but otherwise I was able to get away with the maneuver unharmed. The Jackal, however, had his torso torn straight through with 9.5 x 40mm X-HP-SAP bullets from Avard's battle rifle. With its blood spattering onto the sides of the rooftop, the dead Covie's body pitched forward and fell the two stories to the ground, landing with a muted wet smack about fifty meters away.

The corpse ended up hitting dirt just in front of the oncoming mass of Covenant, making the lead Grunts pause for the briefest of seconds as they glanced down at the bloodied carcass of the alien who'd been watching their six. But that was just the edge I needed to get first platoon moving again, and since there was no way to avoid this skirmish now without taking these alien bastards out, I rose from my cover once more and pulled the trigger.

Some of the Grunts at point were within extreme range of my submachine gun now, and the bullet hose lived up to its nickname. Although less powerful and accurate than some of the other guns the UNSC had to offer, the shear amount of lead pouring from the weapon made a hit nearly impossible to miss, especially up close. And though the Covies were still pretty far for my current gun of choice, my aim wasn't quite as bad as when I'd been ready to give up on the Africa mission during training in Denmark. The first four Grunts were nothing but freshly added bodies beside the dead Jackal by the time my clip ran out.

"Let's go, first platoon! Don't let those Brutes get too close, and let's get those Jackals' shields down!" I yelled, swinging my spent weapon across my back fast as I pulled a frag grenade from my belt. I yanked the pin out with my free hand and tossed the explosive, watching as it sailed behind the new head of the Covie formation, bounced once, and burst at chest-level amid an assorted group of Jackals and Grunts. The alien closest to it had its neck ripped to shreds by the shrapnel, its blood hitting its dazed comrades; the Jackal hadn't brought its shield up fast enough. Now that the rest were momentarily disoriented, I slammed a new clip home at the base of my gun and jumped out of cover. The point squad of Marines came up behind me as we charged at the Covies.

"We need to plug that hole, Marines!" I shouted, pointing at the space the Covenant had first appeared from. Now that they knew we were here, there was no use keeping quiet, and we had to contain the situation before it got worse. "Heavy weapons, take out the entrance to that path between buildings and make sure no one else comes out of there!"

While most of first platoon joined the fray to get rid of the enemy fighters ahead of us, I knew that somewhere in the rear guard were the two Marines with SPNKR rockets. The faster they took out that small pedestrian causeway, the faster we could continue moving towards our next objective.

But the alien bastards weren't going to make any of this easy. I had no doubt in my mind that while they'd been alive, the Marine forces stationed here in New Mombasa had given the Covies a hell of a run for their money, even if they had been outnumbered and outgunned. The Covenant had to be tired by now, but they were tenacious and they didn't seem to have a shortage of supplies yet. Acting fast - as fast as my Marines reacted to find cover - the head Brutes deployed shields and barriers for their troops. Suddenly, the fight was at a standstill.

Until the _whoosh_ of rockets broke the sudden quiet.

I ducked my head instinctively at the sound of loose rubble collapsing, and so did the Marines beside me. I stifled a groan as I pressed my bad shoulder against the concrete wall without thinking, but remained in the uncomfortable position rather than risk exposing myself. I stayed there until I could see past the thick cloud of dust that enveloped the area in front of me because of the blast.

Even before the air cleared, though, grenades were sailing into – and out of – the billow of smoky debris. I held onto my helmet hard and shouted, "Stay down, Marines!"

All the while, explosions rocked the ground seemingly everywhere around us, plasma grenades sticking and frag grenades bouncing before they detonated mid-air, landing and going off in an indeterminate pattern. I was grateful as hell when I opened my eyes and realized I'd been spared amid the chaos.

Much to my surprise, 'Kuatee was already on his feet and wading with a bloodcurdling roar through the surviving Covies. Having slung his particle beam rifle, the SpecOps Elite weaved through plasma rounds meant for him and drove his blade first through a dying Brute, then sliced neatly into two frantic Grunts. The last Jackal squawked from behind its shield and released a pulse of green light from its plasma pistol, hitting Atalom firmly in the stomach, but the Elite kept going. Lost in his rage, 'Kuatee didn't stoop until he'd slapped the Jackal's shield away and gripped the Covie's neck so hard it crunched. He tossed the dead Jackal to the side.

And then, Atom dropped to his knees.

When it was safe, I rushed up to my former enemy. "Hillburn!" I cried as I ran, wincing against the pain in my shoulder. "I want a casualty count, now! Set up defensive positions and sit tight for a minute while I get to Atom. Reynolds, you're up!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the two replied at once.

By the time I reached the Elite, he was clutching the armor plating at his abdomen and breathing hard. I could see his blood dripping down his mandibles, dotting the front of his armor. I'd never seen 'Kuatee like this before, and the sight was a little shocking. I tried to keep my mounting fears to myself, though, as I knelt down beside him.

Atalom turned blazing eyes on me at once, but I could see the mark of intense pain behind them. "Why do you waste your time staring at me, human? Do we not have more Jiralhanae to make bleed?"

I chuckled, even though it came out sounding hollow when I noticed that the claws he held to his stomach were trying to cover a deep crack in his armor. "You're a tough son of a bitch, Atom. You could get hit by a freight train and not bat an eye. If you want to go shank the hell out of the rest of the Brutes, then let's go. Get up."

The feeling of dread came back when I watched the Elite struggle to rise. All Atalom could do, however, was get up on one knee before he wheezed, coughing on the blood in his throat.

"I…I cannot," he said after a while. His eyes shut for a moment and his mandibles clicked in frustration, but despite his wounds, his voice remained strong and rough. "You will continue this without me, human. Boteem is young but a good follower, a fast learner. He may come to aid you more than I by the war's end."

"Don't play games with me, 'Kuatee. You're a damn Elite. You going to tell me a couple plasma wounds are stopping you?" But inside I already knew; one of those plasma rounds had been from a Covenant sniper. Atalom wasn't going to make it. Blood continued to seep from his face, and it poured out of his stomach at an alarming rate. And even though I'd called for Doc Reynolds, I doubted Atalom would accept a human medic's help.

"I am not disappointed by this, human. To die on the battlefield is a just honor, not a regret. My only lament is that I can do no more to rid the universe of the hated enemy of my people. That task is left to you, Captain. You have the powerful need to protect the lives of your mate and your offspring driving you, and that will serve you well in your endeavors. I…had that, too, once. Long ago. Now all I have is a need for vengeance, but I do not have the strength to carry it out now." He fixed his gaze on me. "Be well, Cooper. Fight well. The end of everything is coming, and you should prepare."

Before I could reply, a sniper round from the far corner of the street rang out. 'Kuatee's helmeted head burst in a spray of dark blood, and his body jerked forward with a quick, quiet movement, almost in deference to his end. Caught out in the street with little cover around me, I had no choice but to use the large, armored Elite's corpse as cover. I shut my eyes tight and tried to keep my emotions under wraps as I felt 'Kuatee's body buck as another sniper round – one that had been meant for me this time – struck the shell of his chest armor. Propping the Elite on his side a moment earlier to duck behind, I'd only just avoided Atom's same fate.

"Doc, belay my last!" I shouted through the COM channel. "Get the fuck to cover! Hillburn! I want a fix on that sniper, now!"

"On it, Captain!"

Not a minute later, the anonymous Covenant sniper went silent.

* * *

"Captain Cooper? First Lieutenant Marshall Dennison, ma'am, 301st ODST Battalion," the young trooper in front of me said. I could tell he was trying hard to resist the ingrained urge to come to attention, but he was disciplined enough to overcome it. He continued in a steady voice, "I'm sure glad you got here when you did, ma'am. I thought we were done for. I mean, I've got one platoon to what? Sixty, seventy Covies in a large, well-defended position with air superiority and tanks? Hell, if we weren't Helljumpers, we would've been screwed, Captain."

"Ninety, Trooper," I replied.

Lieutenant Dennison cocked his head at me. "Ma'am?"

"There's another company from my battalion coming up on the left flank. They've estimated enemy strength on their side of the roadblock at ninety, Lieutenant."

"_Their_ side, ma'am?"

"That's right. So that means if you've got your numbers down on _this_ side as about seventy, that makes the total one-sixty."

The blond Helljumper's face paled.

"You got a company commander of your own, Trooper?"

"No, ma'am," he answered slowly.

I sighed. "I guess that makes me in charge then, huh? I know I'm not an ODST so I'll stay out of your hair, but I might need to place your platoon if my company needs help. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain."

"All right. Sit tight for now then and stand by for orders. I need to get into contact with my acting CO."

Tactically, things had gone as well as could be expected after 'Kuatee's death. The other platoon leaders in my company had contacted me at each half-hour interval in the past three hours as ordered, all while first platoon and I made our way to the roadblock. Each had reported in to let me know of several skirmishes, but none had ended with a significant number of casualties. Tactically, we were more or less on schedule.

Psychologically, Atalom's death had left me a little jarred – and with an unexpected feeling of emptiness. How could someone so powerful and unbreakable _die_? How could a former enemy I'd come to rely on in the months since be _gone_? A large part of me still hated 'Kuatee for what he was, for what he had been. For what he had done to the human race in the past. But another part me was trying hard to keep from mourning the loss of a formidable ally. We'd never been friends – never would have been, either – but I felt his absence.

Especially now that we'd finally reached the last few streets before the main roadblock.

The COM channel crackled then, just after I'd issued orders for Bravo to stay put while I waited to learn what we were to do next.

"All right, Cooper, this is it," Captain Hayden said over the radio. "Charlie's already in position on the far side, and we've picked up the help of a couple of leftover ODST platoons. How's your side look?"

"A little less fortified, but daunting as hell. We only ran into one platoon of troopers, Hayden."

"Damn. Ok, anything else I should know before I give you your orders?"

I raised my helmet's faceplate for a moment to pinch the bridge of my nose. "'Kuatee's dead."

"'Kuatee...'Kuatee as in the Elite?"

"Yeah."

"Jesus."

_Tell me about it_, was what I wanted to say, but I couldn't seem to get the words out. I remembered the ex-Covie's last few moments, what he'd said to me, and then having to use his body as a shield. I remembered listening as another sharp round cracked through his armor after he was already dead, and a lump formed in my throat.

"Hey, Natalie? You still there?"

I swallowed and said, "Yeah, Hayden. What're your orders?"

"Let's rip these bastards a new one, Cooper," the captain said with what I could hear was a smirk on the other end. "Hold for now and wait for my order to engage. We'll have to do this in steps if we want to be successful, and with all the Covie eyes on us, that might be difficult. But we can do this."

_I sure hope you're right, Hayden_, I thought to myself as I brought my visor back down over my face. _I sure hope you're right._

Because I'd believed just as fiercely that nothing could touch Atalom 'Kuatee.

And now Atom was dead.


	51. Chapter 50: Contingencies

**Chapter Fifty: Contingencies**

**Two and a Half Years Earlier. 0645 Hours, June 15, 2550. Fort Charles Officers' Quarters, Cristoff Highlands. "The Plan," Planet Sistine. **

Willis Hawk awoke to a shrill sound he didn't recognize at first in his sleepy state, but vaguely remembered hearing less than three hours ago. Without really thinking about it or even opening his eyes, he flipped over the pillow beneath his head and crammed the sides against his ears, willing the noise that had interrupted his sleep to fade.

Instead, it only got louder.

A voice thick with sleep beside him grumbled, "Your son definitely has a set of lungs on him, that's for sure." He heard the disgruntled tone change to one of amusement and affection. "I think I preferred it when he was kicking me in the womb. At least he was quiet about that."

_Right_, Willis thought to himself, finally emerging into full alertness now. _My son…our son Gabriel was born five days ago._ The thought still seemed new to the young first lieutenant, and he had no doubt that Cooper was still getting used to the idea as well. But a small smile formed on his face as soon as he'd realized it. _That's my baby boy._

Though he still didn't open his eyes, he heard Natalie roll over in bed to face him. "It's your turn this time, Will."

Willis gave his wife a sleepy smirk in response. "I can't feed him, honey."

"Well, at least bring him over to me, will you? I'm so tired I'm afraid I might accidentally drop him or something."

Hawk mumbled something about being equally exhausted, but pushed the pillow off his head and slowly ambled over to the crib that had been set up near the foot of their bunk. Gabriel was still shrieking inside.

"All right, all right," Willis said gently as he picked up his newborn son and held him close. "Don't act like you're so starved. I love you, buddy, but you just ate a couple hours ago, and you've been eating pretty frequently every night. I know because Mommy and I haven't been able to get a wink of sleep since you were born."

He heard Natalie chuckle as she sat up. "This is the feeding schedule all newborns have, Will. I'm pretty sure it's designed to turn their parents into living zombies."

"I guess I should be glad I'm flying back to my own base today, then? I'm sure I'll get more sleep while I'm on duty with the rest of the squadron than I do here." He paused as he handed Gabriel over to his mother, and the sudden thought of having to leave his son soon made his heart clench. "Damn. I'm going to miss the little guy like crazy, though."

Willis had already crossed back to the other side of the room and gotten under the covers again by the time Natalie replied.

"I've got three more weeks of light duty here on base until I have to ship out to Lacino and rejoin my unit there. I heard the fighting's getting pretty bad, so I'll be going in with a batch of new replacements." Her tone went quiet as she glanced down at their baby son while he fed. "I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to leave him though, Will. He won't be big enough yet – he'll only be a month old. He'll still need me."

Hawk furrowed his brows, looking puzzled. "How…what's Gabe supposed to eat when you're gone?"

"I told you my mom's going to take him, and she said she's already got baby formula and a bottle and everything else ready for him. She'll watch him for as long as she can, and then she'll bring him over to your parents' so they can have him for a while, too."

"What about…you?"

Cooper tried to shrug, but thought better of it when Gabe protested the motion. "I have to get a shot before I ship out to stop lactating. Nothing too – " She glanced over at Willis, noticed he was frowning now, and grabbed his pillow with her free hand to smack him with it as she grinned. "Hey, you're the one who asked."

Hawk chuckled, the sound muffled by the pillow in his face. "Yeah, and now I _really_ wish I hadn't."

They were both quiet for a while as their son ate. When he was done, Cooper pulled her pajama shirt back down and replaced Gabe's small pacifier, rocking him a little until he fell back asleep. Knowing he had to get up soon to pack anyway, and seeing as he was already awake now, Willis started to get out of bed when Natalie placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

"What is it, Cooper?"

Her expression grew somber. "We have to talk about something before you leave."

"What?"

"It's not something...pleasant, but given our circumstances, it's not really anything we can avoid, either."

Willis sighed and sat back down to face her, tired but also curious. "Ok. I'm listening, Coop."

Natalie struggled for a minute with whatever it was she wanted to say before she spoke again. This time, Willis could see the amount of control it took for her to keep her voice steady. "We need to come up with a plan, Will. We have a son to think about now who needs to be taken care of even if we're not able to do it ourselves. And we can't afford to pretend that it won't happen to us someday." She took in a deep breath. "We're both on the frontlines a lot, Will. No matter how much we might not want to think about it, realistically it's only a matter of time."

"Cooper, what are you talking about?"

"We need a plan in case…in case one of us doesn't come back."

Though the sharp pain in his chest intensified, Willis smiled at his wife and put his arm around her, as much to reassure her as to reassure himself. "That's what you're worried about? We're going to be ok, Coop. We'll do our tours and even if it's not for a long time, we'll eventually get shore leave again and get to visit Gabe. It's…going to be really hard to be away from him, but that doesn't mean we won't ever see him again."

Natalie didn't respond as Hawk thought she would, though. Where before she'd readily accepted and even welcomed his assurances, now she gently pushed him away.

"Willis, I'm serious about this. What happens if you get shot down tomorrow, or I get killed next month? What happens to Gabe if he doesn't have one or even either of his parents alive to raise him anymore?"

Willis stood from the bed then without answering, instead going over to the small closet to pull out his duffel bag. He'd already piled in a good amount of his clothes before he said sharply, "I don't even want to think…I don't even want to think about anything happening to you, Natalie, or to us that would make our son an orphan. It's not going to happen."

Natalie snorted. "Yeah, because it's so much better to live in denial and ignore it. That way when the problem does arise, whoever's left behind'll have to try to figure everything out alone on _top_ of dealing with intense grief from the loss."

That made Hawk pause. He knew a lot of Natalie's present worries could be attributed to lingering postpartum hormones, or lack of sleep, or the stress that came with having a new baby. It was a solid bet that it was probably a combination of the three. But deep down, he also knew that these were things they should have talked about before, too, and were just too much of the eternal optimists to give the subject its deserved attention. Now that Gabriel had been born seemed a good time as any to address it.

So Willis turned to his wife again and heaved another long sigh. "All right, Cooper. You're right. But what can we do about it? What do you want to have happen?"

"If something happens to both of us, all of our backed up pay and hazardous duty bonuses go to Gabe, so that he'll have a little something to sit on as he grows up."

"Already done, Coop. And if it's just me I've left you and him all I have, and you left what's yours to me and him if it's you. What else?"

"My mom and your parents will probably want to be his guardians if neither of us...are here. But my mom works a lot and can have unsteady hours, Will. She's also subject to moving whenever the job might need her to. I don't know that she'd be able to handle anything too long-term."

Hawk nodded. "My parents can take Gabe then. Your old house on Mars is only a fifteen-minute drive from mine, so as long as your mom's there, it won't be hard for her to go visit them. And you know she'd be welcome any time." Willis gave Cooper a look. "Plus my parents' jobs and lives are a lot more stable than your mom's. I think that kind of environment would be better for Gabe."

Natalie acknowledged with a nod of her own, but didn't say anything in reply. She was looking down at their infant son now as he slept in her arms, and Willis saw her eyes begin to cloud with unshed tears. Hawk went over to her in an instant and leaned down to press his forehead against hers.

"Make sure he remembers me, Will, if I'm the one to go," she whispered. "Make sure he knows how much I love him and how much I wish I could be there for him."

"Of course, Natalie. And I want you to do the same for me, if I don't make it." He placed a soft kiss on her lips, one he was gratified that she returned. "But try not to worry so much. There's a good chance we'll never have to think about this again. We had each other to fight for before, and it was strong enough that we did it. We've been fighting for three years now, Coop. Three years of hard combat, and we're still here. Can you imagine how hard we're going to fight, not only to end this war but to survive it, now that we've got this little guy waiting for us back home?"

But, much to his surprise and in an entirely uncharacteristic move, Natalie pulled away from him again and shook her head. "That doesn't make us invincible, Willis. It just gives us one more thing to lose."


	52. Chapter 51: Tsavo Highway, Act I

**Chapter Fifty-One: Tsavo Highway, Act I**

**0544 Hours, February 12, 2553. City of New Mombasa, Kenya. "The Thick of It," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-Nine of the Fate of Humanity**

Waiting could kill you just as easily as plasma could. Not in the same way, of course; not physically. But mentally it wore you down, made you so tense and so wound up with worry it eventually took your whole focus. Yet the question that nagged at all of us was always the same.

_Are we going to make it? Am I going to get out of this alive?_

That was something they'd never mentioned at the Academy, never mentioned during training, certainly never mentioned when you decided to join up. It was something you learned, and learned quickly, on your very first combat mission – waiting is the worst part.

Six years later, it didn't get any easier to handle.

After receiving the latest orders from Captain Hayden, I had first and second platoons set up a tight perimeter outside while third took a much-needed breather in one of the surrounding damaged buildings. It was a few blocks away from where the Covies were set up at the start of the Tsavo Highway, and since it had half of a roof left and was fairly stable, I'd decided it was safe enough for a quick rest. Judging by the large foyer and tinted windows, it looked like it had been some kind of government office before the attack. Now it was empty and devoid of life, just like the city.

I checked my watch again for the fourth time in ten minutes, wondering if my own rest period was up and if it was time to rotate the platoons. Seeing that I only had a few minutes left, I started to stand up and make the rounds of the platoon's squads to offer words of encouragement and get a sense of where the company was at with morale. My XO intercepted me, however, as soon as I turned around.

"Bloody good thing I found you, Captain," Lieutenant Lewis said. It looked like he'd pulled his helmet off just a moment before, and he ran a quick hand through his mess of red hair. "What's the holdup, ma'am?"

I flashed a small smirk at him, despite how poorly things seemed to be going this morning. "I wouldn't keep that helmet off too long if I were you. The Covies'll spot you a mile away, Dean."

Slowly, my best friend smiled back. "Yes, well, here's to hoping my son inherited his mother's dark hair then. I'm afraid it's too late for my daughter – Emma's red curls make my hair look tame in comparison."

"Can't help you there, Lewis. My kid's always taken after his dad, too, so you might just have doomed your son to the orange Dean Lewis mop." I took out my datapad while my XO moved closer to see. It was an external view of the roadblocks, using the same tech that was in our HUDs to show enemy positions in red, friendlies in green. "This is why Hayden decided to wait, Dean. Behind the Covies' fortified positions, they've got Wraiths and a shit-ton of Ghosts. Our armored units are still making their way up, so we don't launch the assault until we know for sure they've got our six."

"Blimey. Is the brass really expecting us to make it out of this in one piece?"

I sighed. "Only one way to Voi, Lewis. We need this highway open and we need to get the convoy moving ASAP."

My best friend shot me a look. "All due respect, ma'am, but there won't be a lot of moving involved on our part if we get blasted in the arse five minutes into the fight."

"All the more reason to wait for backup. At least then we'll have a shot."

Lewis raised an eyebrow at me. "Out of curiosity, do you actually believe half the things you say?"

I gave him a smirk in return. "You don't want me to answer that, Dean."

He smiled back faintly. "That's what I thought."

"Hold up. I know what the odds tell me, but that doesn't mean I think we're cooked just yet. Let's just say this map is giving us a healthy dose of reality. But I like to believe, however small, that the chance is still there."

"The chance to what, exactly, Captain?"

"To make it out of this alive, Lewis," I answered. "And to make it back to our kids."

My XO regarded me for a moment before he spoke again. "You miss him already, don't you? Your son."

"Yeah," I said, running a hand down my face. "I really do. It seems silly since we just left last night, but…" I shrugged. "There it is."

"I haven't even met my boy yet and I miss him, so you're in good company, ma'am."

I nodded. "Right. Well, I've still got some things to get squared away before we're back at it. Anything else?"

"No, ma'am."

"Good. Carry on then, Lieutenant."

My best friend looked back at me as I walked past him, but right now I didn't have anymore time left to spare - and talking about what we'd had to leave behind wasn't helping either of us. After speaking to a few of third platoon's noncoms and privates, I had second platoon rotate in for a break while third took their place outside. I was about to hail Hayden to get an update on the armored unit's ETA when I suddenly heard his voice nearby.

"Cooper? Is Bravo ready to go?"

I turned around to see him walk up. Our acting commander was holding his helmet in his hand like Lewis had been, and I watched the other captain wipe drops of sweat - as well as blood - off his brow with his hand. His short brown hair was disheveled and his face looked dirty. I raised an eyebrow at him in question as I stared.

"For the most part," I replied. "What the hell happened to you?"

Hayden gave me a slight grin. "I guess you could say I tried to tango with one too many Covies, and they decided they wanted to give me a personalized light show. In the form of a plasma grenade."

"You sure know how to pick 'em. It's a wonder you're not dead yet, what with the laser surgery the sniper in Argentina almost gave you, and now this."

"I'm just a lucky man, Coop."

I snorted. "You mean a crazy one, Oliver."

He shrugged, but his grin didn't diminish. "Semantics. In any case, I've got some new orders for you."

"I'm listening."

"The convoy'll be here in seven minutes, Natalie. It's time for you to get your company in position. Charlie's already standing by."

"Understood. But - "

He held up his hand. "Don't worry, I'm ok. A little roughed up, but my company medic said the wound's superficial enough that the bleeding'll stop on its own. All I've got right now is a headache."

I kept my eyebrow raised a moment longer to let him know I didn't buy it. "If you say so. I'll go get Bravo set up then. Let me know when the cavalry arrives."

"Of course. And Natalie?"

"Yeah?"

The smile faded from his face as he lifted the helmet in his hand slightly at me. "Good luck."

I nodded. "Yeah. You, too, Hayden."

* * *

I wasn't sure what I'd been expecting to encounter when we'd lifted off the tarmac in Skagen, but so far New Mombasa was surprising me with its fierceness. That feeling only grew when I heard the rumble of Scorpion tanks moving up on our six.

I gripped the SMG in my hands tighter and, pressing my side against the wall of sandbags the Helljumpers had erected as they'd waited for us to arrive, I glanced back down the street. The hulking gray-brown behemoth was slowly inching up the square, its main cannon turret swiveling steadily from side to side while the four Marines riding on its large tracks did the same with their own weapons. It seemed our unit wasn't the only jumpy one today. Everyone was expecting the worst.

And after seeing Atom and several of my Marines get killed in front of me this morning, I didn't blame them one bit.

_I hope we make it out of this in one piece, _I thought to myself with a heavy sigh. _If nothing else, just so that I can see Gabriel again. _I took an involuntary look at the skies above, which roiled with unnaturally-colored clouds. _And Willis...you've got to make it back to us, too, honey._

I heard my radio crackle as soon as I turned my attention back to the roadblocks up ahead.

"Cooper, this is Hayden. Convoy's coming up on our six right now."

"I see it. The first tank just passed my position."

"Good. Then wait for my signal to fire, but you're free to deploy Bravo forward at your discretion in the meantime."

"Got it. Cooper out."

Glancing over at my aide, who was crouched silently beside me as he stared at the Covenant sniper towers a couple hundred meters away, I nudged him with my shoulder. "Ready for this, Porter?"

The young corporal blinked. "Uh, yes, ma'am. There's just...a lot of Covies out there, Captain, and not a whole lot of us."

I nodded in the direction of the Scorpion and the number of Warthogs trailing behind it. "Well, I'd say we've got some solid back up now. We'll find a way to get through."

"Yes, ma'am."

Still, as I looked at the looming sniper towers while I opened a company-wide channel, some doubts were already starting to creep in. Even if we somehow managed to get past the roadblocks, it was sure to be a hard-fought and costly advance.

But we had no other choice.

"Bravo Company, listen up," I said through the COM. "We're going to be on the move shortly, so I'm shuffling the lines. First platoon, you're up at center a block ahead of my position. You're going to be the spearhead of the initial assault. Third platoon, I want you right behind - I'll be going in with you. Second platoon, you're going to act as our rear guard and reinforcement. I'll be giving you a signal when I need you to move up, so sit tight where you are for now. Is all of that understood?"

Acknowledgment lights from all three platoon leaders winked green.

"All right then, Marines. Let's get this roadway opened up, and - "

I didn't have time to finish what I wanted to say. Without warning, a Banshee came screaming in from behind the buildings on a strafing run, catching most of us out in the open. My heart rate skyrocketed in an instant as I ducked uselessly against the sandbag wall, somehow thinking it could save me from getting burned to a crisp if the Banshee's white-hot lances of plasma hit nearby. As it was I felt three distinct waves of heat wash over me, punching into the street ahead with reverberating impacts. Luckily, however, after huddling in a tight crouch for several seconds, I realized I was unhurt and still breathing, so I chanced a quick glance at the rest of the line.

I suddenly regretted my hasty orders a moment ago. It seemed as though the entire point squad of first platoon had taken a direct hit - and all that remained were smoking bodies and black holes in the asphalt. My mouth opened wide in shock for a second, but no sound came out. I could hear my pulse pounding loud through my ears, I could hear shouts of the wounded and those who'd rushed up to help, but I couldn't seem to move or speak.

"Captain!"

Before I could even register the words, I felt something like a sharp kick in the ribs and I went down. The front of my faceplate hit the ground so hard I heard it crack, but the padding inside kept me from losing a few teeth or breaking my jaw. I wish I could have said the same about my injured shoulder; I bit my tongue hard to keep from yelping in pain.

At first I thought I'd been blindsided by a Brute, and I started to struggle against my unseen attacker, even though I knew I was pretty well pinned. Whoever - or whatever - it was shouted something, but by then the next group of Banshees were already coming in hot. That made me freeze up quick and I stopped trying to fight whatever was on top of me. I just hoped to hell the thing would be enough to shield my body from the plasma and left the rest to fate.

Despite the poor odds, you could at least attempt to fight a Brute off. A boiling round to the chestplate, on the other hand, was much tougher to negotiate. I'd taken one to the back a little over a year ago and had had a lot happen to me since, but I still counted it as one of the worst experiences of my life so far.

"So far" being a hopeful add-on in this case. Because with the way the Covies were attacking now, it seemed likely that this battle would probably be my last.

The smell of vaporized ozone and charred flesh, buildings, and metal enveloped the area in seconds - and if it weren't for my helmet's filtration systems, thankfully still working even after the hit, I would have already been choking on the haze. As it was I kept myself flat on the ground with my eyes shut hard, waiting and praying for the bombardment to end.

That's when I heard another sound - a sound much different and far more welcome than that of the Banshees.

"Pelicans inbound!" Captain Hayden cried through the COM, finally making his presence known and, at the same time, letting us all know he was still alive. His voice sounded hoarse, though. "Keep low to the ground, Marines, and stay behind cover if you're not there already. Wait for them to finish their run."

At the sound of Hayden's voice over the battalion-wide channel, the figure above me had pulled some of its weight off, and I was finally able to take a quick glance at the sky, if not get up. I saw an alarming number of enemy aircraft circling our positions, each ready to deal more damage - but now a few began breaking away in favor of the Pelicans. The alien bastards didn't want to risk getting shot out of the air while they slaughtered us, and so instead went on the defensive now.

In the meantime, seeing as we were getting a momentary break from the air assault, I did the opposite and finally did something about whatever had tackled me.

I tried kicking upward with my legs first, but that didn't work. I caught something that felt like metal and heard the figure grunt, so I tried with my elbows instead. Again my movements were met with metal and another grunt, but the thing rolled off beside me this time. Shoulder still aching from the hit, I started to reach a little sluggishly for my pistol before I got stopped.

"Captain, it's me! Porter, Corporal Porter, ma'am. It's me!"

"Josh?" I said incredulously, keeping my hand on my sidearm's grip as I stared at him. "What in hell were you trying to do, Corporal? You're lucky I didn't break my face on the damn concrete!"

"I thought you hadn't noticed the second wave of Banshees, ma'am. I didn't want you to get hit." His face went red for the first time since I'd known him, and he used a rolled-up sleeve to nervously wipe the sweat off his face. "I'm sorry, Captain. I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

I took in a breath and slowly let it out. "I'm not hurt, Porter. I appreciate the sentiment, but try to think next time before you do, huh?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Glancing up at the sky as I tried to keep my temper in check, I looked just in time to see a Pelican hurtle through above while leaving a smoking Banshee behind it. The enemy craft's bulbous section burst in seconds, and now the flaming pieces were about to come raining down. On us.

I shoved my aide hard in the chest and yelled, "Except now. Run!"

He turned on his heels the minute I took off running as well, trying to make a break for the minimal protection afforded by the nearby building's overhanging roof. In retrospect it was probably a stupid move, but it was better than waiting to get crushed by fiery debris in the street. The flaming Banshee parts came speeding in like missiles, crashing into the asphalt close to where we'd been standing. Turns out we wouldn't have been hit after all...though the intense heat emanating from the spots was enough to have seared us even through our uniforms.

From the relative safety of the building, I slumped slightly against the wall and just stood there, breathing hard for a moment. At least one of my squads was gone after that attack, utterly obliterated - probably more, considering I hadn't seen the damage dealt by the second wave yet. Porter and I had also barely escaped a very painful barbecuing, if not death.

And yet a few Banshees were still up above.

I tried my COM to radio Hayden, sparing a quick glance at my aide as I did so. His face was a combination red-white from the close call and the sprint, and he stared wide-eyed at the ground, taking in large gulps of air. I felt the same but didn't have the luxury of showing it.

"Hayden, please respond. This is Cooper."

No response.

"_Hayden_."

A little static this time, but still no Oliver.

"Fuck." I let out a frustrated sigh and switched to a general channel. I was worried for my friend, but right now the whole company - maybe both companies - were going to be obliterated if someone didn't do something about the Banshees. And for the moment, that task had apparently fallen to me. "Attention UNSC air forces: this is Captain Cooper, commanding Bravo Company of the 603rd groundside. Please respond."

Instead of getting an answer, however, I was startled when an elated yip came through the radio.

"Yeah! Did you see that, Talon? Sniped that Covie son of a bitch outta the sky!"

The voice sounded strangely familiar, but in the wake of what had just happened, I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. "Stow the BS and identify yourself, flyboy. And get me a link with your CO."

The pilot on the other end chuckled. "Yes, ma'am. Callsign's Snoopy, Captain. Talon's going to be glad to hear you're ok."

After a brief instant of confusion, it all finally came together in my head. _Talon_, I thought suddenly. _Talon and Snoopy. Of course. But it can't really be_ -

"Cooper, this is Talon, commanding Kilo Squadron in the skies." The second pilot's voice took on a more amused note. "Told you somebody would have your back, Captain."

Emotion overwhelmed me for a second; after all that had happened in the hours since we'd said goodbye in Denmark, I couldn't reply for fear of getting more than a little teary-eyed at this solid confirmation of his well-being. Still, my Marines and I weren't out the woods yet - not by a longshot. So I swallowed hard on the lump that had formed in my throat and croaked, "Talon. We need the air clear so we can advance. We've taken heavy casualties already, and if we lose too many more, there won't be an assault at all."

"Roger that, Cooper. You just mark your current positions and sit tight. Kilo will handle the rest."

I smiled faintly. "Does that mean you won't throw another flaming Banshee wreck our way?"

"No promises, but we'll do our best." I heard the grin in his voice before he grew serious again. "Be careful down there, Captain."

"You, too, Talon. Cooper out."

_Give 'em hell, Will_, I thought. _They've taken enough of my men today_. _Now it's time for us to take some back._


	53. Chapter 52: Tsavo Highway, Act II

Author's Note: Warning for language in this chapter.

**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Two: Tsavo Highway, Act II**

**0614 Hours, February 12, 2553. City of New Mombasa, Kenya. "The Smokescreen," Planet Earth. Day Twenty-Nine of the Fate of Humanity**

As soon as I cut the connection to Willis, I stuck close to the buildings and made my way quickly up to the front to check on the point squad. Even before I started wading through the debris and the bodies, I could feel the heat still coming off the pavement and got an unpleasant whiff of scorched air. I held my breath for a minute while I continued forward, holding my SMG tight as I tried not to let the awful scene get to me.

Doc Reynolds was crouched over one of first platoon's privates when I finally made it close. He was trying his best to get the Marine to stop sobbing.

"Private! _Private_! You need to _calm down_," I heard the medic say firmly. "I can't treat you if you're moving all over the place, ok?"

"But my side, Doc! My side's all torn up! I'm losing too much blood..."

"You're _not_ losing too much blood. I can stop it, but you have to hold still."

"Jesus, I didn't think it would hurt this bad. Oh, God!" The young Marine clutched at the side of his mangled stomach and clenched his teeth in pain. Blood continued to ooze out onto the ground, past the parts of the wound too scored for the red liquid to run freely. When I was able to get a look at the large pool of it beneath him, I wasn't so sure Reynolds was telling him the truth about his chances. The Marine was turning white.

Reynolds gripped him hard by the shoulder. "Private! Don't you give up!"

I knew that what I was supposed to do right now was make sure the rest of the company had made it through the bombardment ok, but I couldn't just walk away from this. I knelt down beside the medic while Corporal Porter did the same next to me, watching my six - as well as the skies - while I focused on Doc and the badly wounded private. I slung my weapon over my shoulder fast and asked in an eerie-calm voice, "Doc? Tell me what I can do to help."

The private continued laboring to breathe, but turned over to me for a second when he heard me speak. His eyes were wide and terrified, and this time I could see blood beginning to bubble at his lips. "C-Captain?"

I thought of Private James Beesner, who'd looked much the same in his own final moments, and felt my throat constrict. "Yeah," I said in a stiff tone as I gave his hand a quick, gentle squeeze. "Hang in there, Marine. Doc'll get you fixed up, all right? Just hang in there."

"What you can do, Captain?" Reynolds finally looked my way with a rough glance, his blue eyes full of frustrated fury. He stuck the poor kid with a dose of morphine and pulled a canister of biofoam from his pack to administer next. The medic didn't face me this time when he spoke, but his voice went low. "Nothing, ma'am. I'm already doing everything I can. It's up to his body's systems now."

_Shit_, I thought._ Not another Marine. Please. I've already lost way too many today._

Since helping wasn't much of an option, I reluctantly turned back to my aide. There was another reason why I'd risked moving up to the front while there were still Banshees circling above us. "Josh? You got those smoke canisters?"

The corporal still seemed a little shaken up, even more so now than after our near-incineration, but his blank expression gradually changed and he nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

While he fumbled with the elongated cylinders on his web belt, I took over the task of keeping watch, holding my submachine gun to bear now as I scanned the area ahead and above us. Finally, the corporal had two of his smoke grenades in his hands. He looked over at me sharply, sweat running down his forehead.

"Where do you want 'em, Captain?"

"As far as you can throw them forward of our position, Corporal," I replied. "That way Captain Hawk can tell where friendly-occupied ground ends and the Covies' lines begin. I'm hoping that once they get rid of the Banshees upstairs, they can soften up some of the roadblocks for us as well. Even the odds a little for when we move up."

"Understood, ma'am." He got up cautiously from his crouched position and took a few steps forward before pulling the pin on the first canister. "Grenade out!"

I watched Porter toss the smoke grenade far down the block, but I was already focusing my attention on opening a company-wide channel again by the time he pulled out the second. I glanced back at Reynolds, who was still struggling to keep the wounded private alive, and briefly shut my eyes before I spoke. "Bravo Company, this is Captain Cooper. I want a sitrep, now. All platoon leaders sound off."

"First Lieutenant Frederick, ma'am. No casualties. We're still waiting in the wings at your order, Captain."

"First Lieutenant Lewis, ma'am. Four wounded, two dead, Captain. We've taken cover behind the sandbag walls now."

There was a long silence over the radio while I waited for the last platoon commander to report in. Taking a quick look around, I realized the rest of first platoon was nowhere to be seen, and I wondered where Hillburn had moved them all once she saw the Banshees coming in...and why she'd left her point squad out here alone with no support.

"We're waiting on you, Lieutenant Hillburn. Status."

"Still getting estimates, Captain. But it looks like...it looks like almost half a platoon, ma'am. Fifteen dead or wounded."

The number left me reeling for a good minute. I could tell from the carnage here that first platoon had taken the brunt of the surprise attack, but I'd never imagined a casualty count that high. I had to concentrate to keep my voice emotionless this time. "Acknowledged. Where's first now?"

"Holding steady beneath the buildings, ma'am. We're just forward of the XO's position. I can see you from here."

Swirling, bright orange smoke began to envelop the area now, but I hardly even noticed it. I was seeing a very different color at the moment, and the most I could do to cover it was say in a tight, carefully controlled tone, "I need you to give me a good reason why you abandoned one of your squads, Lieutenant."

"Captain, I don't - "

"I'm surrounded by eleven torn up fucking bodies here belonging to your platoon, Hillburn, and a twelfth is on his way to see God. Now you're going to give me an explanation, because I'm sure that if you'd done your damn job right, there wouldn't be this many dead!"

"I'm...I'm sorry, ma'am. The Banshees came in so fast...I just ducked. I told the rest of the platoon to take cover and I hunkered down, Captain. There wasn't...there wasn't anything I could do for first squad."

I took a deep breath and sighed. Hillburn was right - I couldn't fault her for doing the same thing I'd done myself when I'd heard the Banshees come in. In that moment, there hadn't been anything either of us could have done for the Marines caught in the open, and getting ourselves killed through an impulsive act of attempted heroism would've made a terrible situation even worse. Maybe she was starting to learn the true nature of the responsibilities of leadership after all. "All right. Good work getting the rest of the platoon to cover. Sit tight for now and standby for additional orders."

Sounding surprised, the young lieutenant replied, "Y-yes, ma'am."

"Lieutenant Frederick," I said, "I want second platoon up here instead once the Pelicans clear the air. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Third'll stay in the middle with me as planned. We don't have enough men for a rear guard anymore, so we'd better be able to do this in one shot."

I waited for acknowledgment lights before cutting the connection. All I could see ahead now was the dense colored smoke, but the image on my datapad painted the Covie positions behind it perfectly. Some of the enemy vehicles had started to move forward now.

"Shit," I breathed. I turned to the medic and grasped his shoulder. "Doc, how's the private?"

Doc Reynolds swallowed hard as he met my gaze, shaking his head. "He uh, he's dead, Captain. I wasn't able to save him."

"Jesus Christ." Everything about this Africa mission had been going downhill from the very start. I just hoped Willis would be able to do something for us to keep things on an even keel, but so far it looked like the odds were only getting worse and worse by the second. "Ok. Grab his tags then and I'll get some Helljumpers in here to help us. We have to advance."

Instead of doing as I'd ordered, however, Reynolds simply stayed put, continuing to stare at me. His expression was incredulous now.

"Move forward? This kid just_ died_!" he shouted. "I treated four of these Marines before you got here, and every single one of them bled out on me! I can't do this! I can't save everyone!" His eyes darkened then as he glared at me. "And where the fuck were you? It's your damn job to keep this shit from happening in the first place. You're in command!"

That did it. I got in his face and hissed, "I was trying not to get boiled the fuck alive, Doc! You think I enjoyed watching my men get vaporized? This is war, Reynolds. Sometimes terrible shit happens that you can't fucking prevent. It's unpleasant and it's God-awful and it's horrifying, but that's what we have to deal with. So instead of whining about it, you keep doing _your_ job!" I took in a deep breath but couldn't stop my voice from cracking. "I had to do mine after I lost my _child_, Michael. You can sure as hell do yours after this."

Before I'd even turned completely around to move behind the last bit of cover out in the street, still trying to get a handle on my emotions, I heard my COM crackle.

"Cooper, this is Talon. Please respond."

"Go ahead, Talon." My tone was edgier than usual when I answered, and Willis didn't miss it.

"Nat - uh, Captain, what's going on down there?"

"Nothing good. You got our location marked now?"

"Yeah, I see the smoke. Just wanted to let you know, though, that you've got a few Ghosts and two Wraiths taking interest in you now. We'll try to take care of 'em as soon as we can, but we're dealing with our own problems up here." I heard him let out a sigh. "Banshees should be out of your hair for good, but now they're in ours, so we're gonna try to shake 'em."

"Got it." I looked skyward for a moment and felt anxiety creeping in. "Talon?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't get hit."

He chuckled humorlessly. "Definitely not in my plans for today, Cooper. Stay safe."

* * *

Within the next ten minutes I'd managed to get Lieutenant Dennison's ODST platoon to join us at the front. I'd also checked in with Captain Hayden, who'd radioed me shortly after I'd spoken to Willis to let me know he was ok. A temporary COM malfunction caused by the blast had kept Hayden from answering earlier, but he assured me he was still alive. All of this brought my hopes for survival back up a little, but I knew we still had a lot of work ahead of us.

We still had a very long _road_ ahead of us. And unfortunately, it was one chock full of Covenant.

"Ma'am, the convoy's beginning to move forward," Lieutenant Dennison reported from his position at point. "I'm sending my platoon in behind them once the Covenant vehicles have been softened up a bit - with your permission, Captain. We've got some heavy weapons we can use to help out our armor."

"Permission granted, Lieutenant," I replied. "I'll get my sharpshooters set up now to take out those Covie sniper towers, so the path should be clear of most of the nastier defenses."

The sound of a Scorpion's main cannon going off up ahead less than a second later had Porter and I ducking out of instinct. Within moments several machine guns also opened up, firing from both the tank and the Warthogs behind it.

I opened a company-wide channel once the ground stopped vibrating from the impact of the Scorpion's initial salvo, then took cover behind a blown-out concrete planter on the sidewalk. "Second platoon, you're up! The convoy's moving into the Covies' lines now, and we've got to get going so we can give them support once they're through! Snipers, get those alien towers offline now! Let's go!"

That's when I noticed that, through the smoke and the debris getting kicked up by the mounted MGs, Covenant ground troops were starting to make their way towards us as well, cautious but steady. At first some of the Warthogs were able to tear down a number of the oncoming enemy infantry, ripping the whole forward line to shreds like the Banshees had just done to us. But some inevitably managed to advance.

_Come on, Will, _I thought as I watched Dennison's Helljumpers rushing to engage the aliens on foot. I was itching to get into the fight myself, yet I knew I'd have to wait for both the ODSTs and second platoon to move up first. _We need that air support. We're going to lose the convoy's help the minute they run into issues of their own with those Ghosts and Wraiths._

For now, though, there wasn't much I could do but hope my husband was able to eventually break free upstairs and make use of the smoke we'd deployed.

Another thundering tank round brought me back quickly to the present. By now the harsh rattling of a number of machine guns filled the air, and whenever they happened to go silent for a reload, I could hear the fainter _cracks_ of sniper rifles coming from behind us. Still, the Covies weren't resting on their laurels in the meantime, and it wasn't long before plasma salvos were also making themselves heard.

Since most of third platoon was utilizing the sandbag cover just a few meters to the rear of where Corporal Porter and I were crouched, I turned around a minute later and rapidly signaled them all to hit the deck with a downward swing of my free hand. I'd been trying to keep track of too many things at once, and between all the chaos going on around and ahead of us, I'd only barely managed to notice the latest Wraith tank blast's trajectory.

Unfortunately for us, this one was headed our way.

I felt my teeth rattle inside my helmet as I held onto it with one hand, keeping the other wrapped around my submachine gun with a white-knuckle grip. The resounding plasma blast shattered the nearest building's windows and pulverized what was left of the facade. Apparently the Covie tanker had aimed too high to hit some of the furthermost vehicles in our convoy, and so now it was third platoon and I, far back at the center of the formation, that ended up taking the brunt. I kept my eyes shut tight and held my breath out of pure reflex until the bits of plaster and glass had stopped raining down on me. When I felt the last _ping_ against the armor plating on my back, I slowly raised my head to chance a look around.

My sudden sharp intake of breath was more due to the fact that most of the surrounding air was now filled with free-floating gray debris than surprise at what I saw, but panic at the feeling of being suffocated was a difficult reaction to suppress. Really I couldn't see much of anything yet because of the dust cloud, but my lungs were quick to let me know with the next breath that they were no longer getting what they needed out of the atmosphere. I pushed myself up to my knees, trying to get into a position that was better suited for taking in oxygen, then went into a coughing fit when my body still couldn't find any. It was a few more terrifying seconds before my helmet's systems were finally able to compensate and I could take in a real breath.

Feeling slightly disoriented, I looked to my side first, relief washing over me when I noticed Corporal Porter hadn't been injured in the blast, either. His uniform was covered in a light dusting of ash from head to foot now, probably mirroring what my own looked like, but he was ok. Just before I turned away he saw me assessing him and gave me a weak thumbs-up. I nodded in return.

"Lewis, give me your platoon's status," I said once I had enough air in my lungs to speak.

My best friend's voice sounded as rough as my own. "All accounted for, ma'am. We're lucky as all bleeding hell that mortar round hit the building and not us."

"Yeah. I sure hope the convoy's faring better than we are, though." I took in another deep gulp of oxygen. "For a second there I thought...I thought I was going to just choke on that stuff and be done with it. Helluva way to go after all we've been through, huh?"

"The irony does not escape me, Captain. But we _are_ all still here, fortunately."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. I'll take whatever lucky breaks I can get at this point." I glanced up ahead and saw that the smoky gray debris was beginning to dissipate now. "Let's get your platoon moving, Dean. I think the Helljumpers are starting to bust through, and second platoon's already sticking to their six."

"By your command, ma'am."

_We'll get there, _I thought to myself as I waved Lewis's platoon forward. _Slowly but surely, the Covies are going to get what's coming to them. _

* * *

Things seemed to be progressing in our favor for the first time now - and when I heard Willis's squadron coming in as I put down another Grunt pair with a spray of bullets, I felt even more of my unease lift. I was still deeply perturbed at just how many Marines first platoon had lost, at how Reynolds had been unable to save the private he'd been treating earlier, at how many vehicles from the convoy Captain Hayden reported had already been destroyed. And I knew, too, that the causalities would only continue to increase as we pressed forward onto the unprotected highway itself. This was Covenant territory through and through, had been since before we'd even arrived. We had to be ready to mount a tireless offensive if we wanted to take it back.

Luckily, everyone was prepared to do just that.

"This is where we part ways then, Cooper," Hayden said to me while Willis and Kilo completed their final bombing run. "I won't get all sentimental, 'cause I know in a few weeks we'll all be sitting at a bar somewhere getting hammered in complete freedom for the first time in our lives," he said with a chuckle, "but still. Keep an extra pair of eyes and ears out there, Natalie. I want both my best friends toasting the end of the war with me when the time comes, all right?"

I smiled. "You can bet your pay on that, buddy. We'll take turns buying the rounds, ok?"

"You got it."

"And make sure this city gets cleaned up in the meantime, Oliver. I think I've stepped into far more pools of Covie blood than I care to get on my boots."

He chuckled. "Will do. See ya, Cooper."

"Bye, Hayden."

As I started off down the road alongside Porter and the rest of third platoon, several replacement 'Hogs and two Scorpion tanks driving ahead of us with the Helljumpers and second platoon, I thought again of what we'd sacrificed to get past the roadblocks. Of what we'd have to sacrifice in the future once we got to Voi..._if_ we got to Voi. I could only hope the end result would be worth all those lives.

"Hope that helped a little, Captain," Willis said smugly over the COM then, interrupting my thoughts. "You've got plenty of stragglers to work on, but I think me and my pilots were able to do most of it for you, so you're welcome."

I couldn't help the smirk that briefly crossed my face inside my helmet. "Ass. You act like we haven't been fighting here since before you even arrived. Who do you think does the _real_ work for humanity, huh, flyboy?"

My husband sighed, though his tone remained light. "We're in this together, Cooper. As far as this battle goes, I've got orders to watch your six till the end of the highway." He paused as his voice turned serious. "But you know that in everything else, I have your back always, Coop."

"Yeah, Talon. I know." _And that's why I love you. _

The smile that stayed plastered on my face for the next minute slowly faded as we began marching through the wreckage then, both human and Covenant. It was a desolate stretch of charred roadway that quickly made my mind revert back to reality. _But I can already tell, by this skirmish alone, that this fight's going to take a whole lot more than we've ever had to give.  
_


	54. Chapter 53: Tsavo Highway, Act III

**Chapter Fifty-Three: Tsavo Highway, Act III**

**2234 Hours, February 25, 2553. Near the City of Voi, Kenya. "The Breaking Point," Planet Earth. Day Forty-Two of the Fate of Humanity**

I knew it was time to finally take some stims when I caught myself nodding off in the back of a Warthog. Lying uncomfortably against the bed of the jeep, wedged between the gunner with my boots dangling off the edge and my submachine gun on my chest, I was somehow still able to get lulled by the wave-like undulations of the vehicle's suspension. The dull throbbing of my shoulder and occasionally even my stomach didn't seem to bother me much anymore, and neither did the soreness of my feet from all the marching. Right now, the only thing my body seemed to be able to focus on besides hunger was exhaustion.

"Willis," I mumbled inside my helmet, eyes only half-open now. "I'm starting to fall asleep. You gotta...gotta keep me awake till I find Doc."

Since he'd already taken his third dose of stims several hours ago, my husband's voice sounded much more alert than mine when he answered. "Well, Coop, there's about two more weeks till your birthday now. Have you thought about what you want yet?"

His reply succeeded at making me at least a bit more aware. "Really? I didn't...didn't even realize."

_Twenty-six, _I thought. _I'm going to be twenty-six years old in a couple weeks, if I can make it that long. _But for now I was too tired to fret over the worst-case scenario. I shrugged drowsily to myself, instead focusing my thoughts on the more appealing prospect of potential presents than on the very strong likelihood I wouldn't live to receive them. "I don't know, Will. I guess right now I want a shower. A real bed. You. Gabe. No Covenant." Eventually I managed a smirk. "And I'm expecting some..._other_ things from you, too, of course. But I won't mention that over an open channel, private or no."

I heard Willis chuckle. "Fair enough. I told you a couple weeks ago I mentally brought you a bouquet of roses for Valentine's Day. We also had a _very_ romantic dinner..."

"And I mentally slapped you upside the head for thinking mental dates and gift-buying are the same as the real thing," I said with a small grin. Then I frowned. "I guess that's the best we can do at the moment though, huh?"

"Almost there, Cooper. My tactical boards say you've got about eight more klicks to Voi. All things considered, we actually haven't done too bad."

I slowly eased myself up so that I was no longer resting on the extra ammo belts in the jeep bed, and instead slung my SMG across my torso armor. After bracing my hands against the edge of the 'Hog, I signaled the driver to slow up for a second and hopped off.

Since leaving New Mombasa, whenever the convoy was under the protective cover of a new city, I'd allowed each Marine in my company to trade off fifteen-minute rides on one of the vehicles. We'd been marching hard for well over thirteen days now, and so whenever we weren't forced to halt to defend ourselves from an ambush, it was nice to get in a few minutes of rest. And Willis was right: so far we'd been lucky. I'd been expecting the absolute worst with such a large convoy traveling across an open highway, yet despite the odds, Bravo Company had fared pretty well. Others hadn't been as fortunate. Yesterday one of the Scorpions' infantry support battalions had taken heavy casualties when a squadron of Phantoms and Banshees had attacked, though Willis had been quick to contact Major Collins for reinforcement. The skirmish continued almost exclusively upstairs after that - the damage to the convoy's ranks had been done, but the rest of us had managed to continue unscathed. There'd also been periodic obstacles along the way in the form of more Covenant ground troops and Ghosts to deal with, but we'd been able to handle those as well, for the most part. All that remained now were the final kilometers to Voi, and we could finally call for a temporary halt to recoup before we went after the Covies there.

"Let's just hope it continues, then," I replied. I pulled my gun into my hands now that I was back to pounding the pavement and added, "I'm going to go get some stims and check on the company, Will. My fifteen minutes on the mobile luxury suite are up."

"All right. I'll keep you posted on anything coming up ahead."

"Yeah, thanks."

It wasn't long before I spotted Doc Reynolds marching along the roadway. I felt a little awkward having to ask him for more meds after our recent falling out, but I knew I couldn't properly perform my duties if I was close to passing out at every turn. So I took in a breath when I approached and said, "Doc? Got some stims for me?"

Reynolds turned around fast, looking startled. "Uh, yes, ma'am." The medic recovered quickly and pulled out a packet of stims from one of the pouches on his web belt. "The rest of the officers got more of them while you were riding, Captain, so everyone should be good to go now."

I nodded as I took the pills from him, but didn't say anything. I was unhooking my canteen to down them when Reynolds spoke again.

"Captain...I'm sorry for what I said the other day. I - "

"Let me guess," I said while I ripped open the packet. "You were beyond insubordinate _yet again_, and you regret it." A sardonic smile formed on my face as I shook my head. "We've been here many times before, Reynolds. Why should I expect anything different from you this time?"

He swallowed. "Because I was truly out of line this time, ma'am. Really out of line. I got frustrated at everything that was going on, frustrated I couldn't save even one of those Marines, and I took it out on you. I didn't...I didn't even think about your own loss, about what you had to do even after you miscar - "

I looked up at him sharply. "I don't want to talk about that, Doc."

"I know you don't, and I'm not asking you to, Captain. I just meant I should have realized how you'd - "

"I said _no_, dammit!"

The medic was taken aback by my outburst and shut up immediately.

I let out a long sigh, struggling to explain this in a way Reynolds would understand. Willis understood better than anyone, since the baby had been his, too - although even he hadn't been the one carrying it. I had.

"I don't even want what happened mentioned, Doc. I can't...I never really had the time to come to terms with it. There were always five hundred other things going on so that whenever I even _possibly_ had a moment to go there, I didn't. So I don't want to go there now, and I definitely don't want you to tell me you should have known how I feel. _I_ don't fucking know how I feel. I just know that it's only when I've got all this to focus on that I'm not getting ripped apart on the inside." Before Reynolds could reply, I quickly downed the stims and screwed the cap back onto my canteen. Then, turning slightly to place it back on my web belt, I said, "Whatever you may think, I care about this company, Reynolds. I feel personally affected by and responsible for each and every one of you. But God forgive me, I hit the deck as soon as those Banshees swooped in. Was that a bad move? Maybe. I should have issued orders to the point squad to get out of the way first instead, and trust me, I beat myself up over that more than you ever could. But any way you cut it, they would've been dead long before they reached cover." I met his gaze again. "Sometimes position and timing'll bite you in the ass, Doc, no matter what you do. It happened to my kid, and now it's happening to the rest of us. That's all there is to it."

Petty Officer Reynolds was quiet a long time before he attempted a reply. Running a hand through his cropped black hair, he said, "Captain, I'm...I don't know what to say."

"I know you don't," I said gently, repeating his own words. "And that's why I'm leaving it at that."

Slowly, he nodded. "Well, all the same, I just wanted you to know that I don't blame you."

I nodded slightly in return. "Thanks, Doc. I appreciate that coming from you."

* * *

It was warmer tonight than it had been the past couple weeks. Sometimes the temperature managed to dip just low enough that you could feel comfortable wearing the long sleeves of a battledress jacket, but not now. With an hour to go till midnight, I kept my sleeves rolled up as they had been all day, and even had to pull my helmet off a couple times to wipe the sweat off my forehead. I couldn't be entirely sure that the perspiration was due only to the heat, though. I'd been on edge ever since that unexpected Banshee attack had killed fourteen of my Marines in one swoop and wounded seven others - caution and vigilance had become the order of the day for the rest of the mission.

And the order of the night.

I hadn't heard anything from Willis for a while, so I figured the skies looked clear. Seeing as we were just a few klicks outside of Voi now, I was sure he could also see the remainder of highway we had left to cover. But I didn't let that lull me into a false sense of security; not anymore.

"Platoon leaders, report," I said into the COM channel.

"Not much up front, Captain," First Lieutenant Frederick answered. "Only thing I see is the Scorpion tank and a couple of Warthogs up ahead, plus the Helljumpers, but everything else is dead silent, ma'am."

"Same at the rear, ma'am," Hillburn replied next.

"The center looks identical to the rest as well, Captain," my XO commented.

Walking near the edge of the road, I glanced over to my left and faintly made out my best friend's form with the aid of the nightvision on my HUD. He was marching along on the other side of the large tank rolling beside me. Though I had opted to go in with third platoon while the convoy made its way across the highway, I'd always made sure to remain a good distance away from my executive officer so that the whole chain of command wouldn't be knocked out in one hit. I noticed now, though, that we seemed to have gotten a little too attached.

"Acknowledged," I said over the company-wide channel. "Lewis, move up to your first squad. We're just on opposite ends of the tank now, so we'd better keep our distance."

"Yes, ma'am."

Of course, things didn't end up going that smoothly. One of the large craters in the road up ahead that previous squads had dismissed suddenly became active now - and out from the underground, groups of Jackals, Grunts, and Brutes came pouring out. I raised my submachine gun at the same time my husband hailed me on the general channel rather than our private connection.

"Cooper, you've got four enemy vehicles and an escorted Phantom inbound! We'll take care of the Covie aircraft up here, but in the meantime you're on your own with the Wraiths!"

"Roger that, Talon!" I replied, sprinting forward to get ahead of the Scorpion tank. No matter how fast Willis took the Phantom and its Banshee guards out, the last thing I wanted to do was stand right next to the biggest slowly-moving target we had.

The first salvo of plasma thundered overhead by the time I reached the closest cover. The burnt-out, overturned bus lying off to the side of the roadway didn't offer the most comprehensive cover, but it was long and wide, providing some protection to me, Porter, and a handful of other Marines as we heard the high-pitched tearing of metal somewhere behind us. I turned around to see that one of the Banshees had blown away a Warthog traveling with third platoon's rear guard.

_Holy shit. _

"Lewis!" I shouted into the COM channel as I heard two Pelicans come in low from the side, dogging the Banshee that had transformed our Warthog into a smoking column. "Get your point squad to move forward and engage all ground troops, now! Everyone else take cover and stay put!"

A group of Grunts were already coming up on the other side of the bus while I cut the connection, so I rushed quickly to the edge in a low crouch, waiting. I lifted my SMG up as the first alien rounded the corner and pulled the trigger. The Grunt squealed in a spray of blue blood as it went down, but the others kept coming. I squeezed my trigger finger until I'd emptied the clip, and thankfully by then, the rest of the Marines around me had joined in to dispatch the remaining Covies.

I ducked back behind the bus to reload as my Marines kept firing, but it was my aide who rushed up to the front and shouted, "Fire in the hole!" A few moments later, his grenade added to the occasional explosions heard up above, where Willis's squadron continued to fight off Banshees and the lone Phantom. When I saw that the rush of enemy infantry was beginning to dwindle, I stood with my freshly loaded gun and waved everyone forward.

"Bravo!" I shouted into the COM channel above the sounds of gunfire, plasma, and needle rounds. "Let's move it up, Marines!"

Since third platoon and I had already gotten rid of the Grunts and most of the Jackals, all that were left now were a handful of wounded - but thoroughly enraged - Brutes. The one closest to me let out a loud roar before charging a young lance corporal ahead, who was so terrified by the huge beast he didn't move. The massive alien tackled the Marine into a lamppost on the edge of the highway, denting his armor and crunching his ribs on the inside. I turned away and winced out of reflex, but I could do nothing to stop the harsh, clipped scream that boomed through my helmet. The sound sent chills down my spine.

At the same time, I heard another blast from behind us, and was able to glimpse a second Warthog going up in flames - this time from a Wraith tank blast. The surrounding area was already so filled up with projectiles and smoke and debris that it was getting difficult to breathe.

I knew then that if I didn't do something quick, this would be as far as any of us would get.

With my mind suddenly clear, and with weeks of pent-up frustration and exhaustion and fear giving me strength, I jumped out from behind cover and ran for the Brute. It was still bent over the lance corporal, who was either knocked out from the intense pain or dead by now, and it didn't notice me coming at first. That gave me the advantage I needed to come out of this alive - and I decided to take that chance.

I fired a hail of shredder rounds at the hulking alien the moment I got within range, keeping it up until I heard the familiar _click _of the empty gun. The Brute, now bleeding from a chest wound and tens of pockmarked bullet holes, fell to its knees with a groan. It glanced up at me a moment later with another angry growl, though, and, too weak to charge a second time, pulled out its Brute rifle instead.

The beast never got a chance to fire.

With one of my combat knives already in hand, I drove the blade straight into the battered alien's neck before it could react. Its eyes went wide as it gurgled, but even that wasn't enough to put it down entirely. Using its last reserves of energy, it slapped me away with the butt of its rifle, knocking me hard in the side of my helmet and throwing me roughly against a concrete barricade. My head spun for a good minute while my ears buzzed. With my vision momentarily blurred, I couldn't stop the thing from completing its final blow.

Lucky for me, I didn't have to. A Marine came running towards me from the other side of the Scorpion tank, dodging a hail of enemy fire to get at the Brute before it did me in. Just as the beast was about to use a massive fist to smash my head into the solid barrier, the Marine fired his shotgun twice in quick succession. The Brute went down for good without so much as a grunt this time, two large holes now bored into its hide.

"Thought you could use a hand there, Captain," I heard the voice say when my hearing returned. The Marine was crouched in front of me now, looking me over with his tinted visor still down. "Are you all right, ma'am?"

I finally recognized the voice as Dean's.

Realizing for the first time how labored my breathing was, I replied, "Uh...yeah. Yeah, I'm ok. But that kid...that Marine right there, he's not so good. Check on him."

Lewis released a sigh and shook his head. "I've already checked, Captain. The lance corporal's gone."

"Shit, Dean," I said as I took in a ragged breath. "Another one?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," he said quietly. "Do you think you can get up, ma'am? Third platoon has taken care of the buggers on the ground, but we've got two Ghosts and a Wraith still giving our armor a run for its money."

I blinked several times to try to get a handle on my vision again. It was slow to return, so I knew it would be a few minutes before I stopped seeing spots. Yet I knew as well as my XO did that we had to get moving ASAP. "Yeah, Lewis. I can get up. Thanks for the save."

"No problem, ma'am. I know I should be steering clear of you, but I wasn't about to let my best mate go down while I could stop it."

If my head hadn't been hurting so bad, I would have grinned. "I appreciate it, buddy."

First Lieutenant Lewis had just extended his hand for me to take when we heard a sudden _whoosh_ go through the air. When I glanced up I saw Dean had turned around to face it, but all I could see beyond him was a giant blue sphere of plasma heading for the overturned bus.

Lewis didn't have time to move, and I didn't have time to speak. Less than a second later, there was a thunderous screech of plasma melting and tearing through metal.

Then the entire world went dark.

* * *

I couldn't be sure of anything when I eventually woke up. I didn't know where I was at first, if I was hurt, if there were Covenant nearby, if I was dead. For a long time I couldn't hear or feel or think. I definitely _believed_ I was dead. But even that I couldn't say for sure, because when I started to regain consciousness, I realized I was coughing.

I was sweating, too. My first attempt at motion was to try and open my eyes, but I found to my surprise that I had to blink away fragments of glass in order to see. I shut my eyes again out of reflex to keep the glass out, and tried to move my arms up to wipe it away instead. That was a mistake.

Only barely managing to muffle a harsh groan against whatever fabric was at my mouth, I lay there breathing hard for a moment before I tried a second time. The results were better now, but only because I left my right arm in its place and didn't move a muscle of it. My left arm came up to my face and carefully brushed away the glass, independent of any prompting from my conscious mind. At that point I was finally able to see.

Panic hit me when I glanced down at my right arm. It was still attached, but it looked more like something that had gone through a meat grinder than my actual limb. A deep gouge ran from just above my wrist to my elbow - the shrapnel that had made it was still embedded in my arm. Both dried and fresh blood surrounded the jagged piece of metal, making it even more impossible to tell how much time had passed since I'd blacked out. My bad shoulder, on the same side, also hurt ten times worse than it had before.

I was screwed if there were any Covies around, because right now I could hardly move.

It took all of my training and combat experience not to pound the asphalt in anger. As it was, I could feel myself starting to go into shock after seeing the gravity of the wound, and tears of frustration began to prick at my eyes. _Oh, God, _I thought. _I won't ever get to hold my son again. _

I'd been fighting for a long time. I'd seen a lot of tremendously horrible things and had been able to continue nonetheless. But I was now nearing my limits.

I lay there for another minute as I fought down emotions and came to grips with my situation. Maimed or not, I was still in charge. I had to get up, had to figure out what happened, had to figure out where my company was and if they were ok._ Come on, Cooper, _I thought as I steeled myself for a move that was sure to cause me an incredible amount of pain. My head throbbed and I felt weak and disoriented, but I knew I had to try. _This is the only way. You've dealt with bad wounds before, so you'll deal with this now. Just remember to breathe._

As I began to roll over onto my stomach, I heard a sharp gasp and a pained grunt close by and nearly fell back again. It was a few seconds before I realized it was me.

Now that I was fully conscious, the pain started to surface at its normal magnitude. I'd been shielded from the brunt of the pain while I was only half-awake, but now I felt it at its peak - and it was staggering. The pain was so bad I saw white spots in the black night, but I took in a deep breath and pushed through it. With clenched teeth and a lot of work, I was finally able to sit up.

My broken helmet dropped off my head in pieces. That explained the headache, but now I was left with no way to communicate and no way to see in the dark. Thankfully, though, I didn't hear anything approaching yet.

I figured my brain was still somewhat functioning when I remembered to look for my two pictures jammed inside the helmet's padding, but I couldn't find much to recover. Even the photo I'd had of Gabe since the fighting in Cote D'Azur was too torn to distinguish. It was just a picture, but the thought of that one being destroyed made a lump form in my throat._ I'm sorry, Gabe, _I thought to myself then._ I'm so sorry. I should have stayed with you when I had the chance, son, but now I don't know if I'll be able to make it back to you._

I let out another groan and shut my eyes tight as I pulled my right arm inward with my left. I noticed that there were bloodstains coming down from my collarbone as well, so I touched the spot. A smaller piece of shrapnel had stuck me there, too.

Despite the warmth of the African night, I was starting to feel cold. I was beginning to shiver and get light-headed, but thoughts of my son kept me awake and kept me struggling to hang onto consciousness. I couldn't do this to him. I couldn't let my two-year-old son end up without a mother. So I fought.

When I felt around in the dark for my weapon, I saw that my submachine gun was busted - the barrel had been thoroughly bent because of the blast, and, in any case, I couldn't use it with one hand anyway. So I turned over slightly to pull my sidearm free of its holster instead. I wasn't much of a shot with my left hand, but it was better than being defenseless in case any aliens stumbled on me.

That's when I heard a separate cough and another groan. Neither of which were mine this time.

I turned to my left to see the Scorpion tank I'd tried to get away from when the skirmish began. It was now a smoking ruin, thanks to the Wraith tank blast that had just missed the bus but apparently hit the tank dead-on. And lying beside it, several yards away from me, was a trembling Marine with red hair.

My heart sank instantly. One minute it was inside my chest, where it should've been, and the next it felt like it had dropped straight into my gut.

"Dean? _Dean!_"

The physical pain became a secondary consideration as I slowly crawled my way over to my best friend. He looked awful up front. The left side of his chestplate had a deep hole in it that bubbled up fresh blood - probably a pierced lung. His right leg looked worse than my arm, and he had blood smeared all along his jaw from a deep cut. Like me, his helmet was in pieces. I finally got up beside him on my knees and gripped his hand.

I swallowed hard. "Dean? It's Cooper, buddy. Can you hear me?"

It took him what seemed like hours to focus. I could feel his entire body shaking in my grasp, could hear him wheezing and struggling to breathe past the blood pooling at his lips. But he eventually looked up and met my gaze.

"N-Natalie?" he asked.

I nodded even as I felt the tears well up in my eyes. "Yeah. I'm here, Lewis. You're going to make it, all right? I'll find Doc and he'll patch you up. Just hang on."

Lieutenant Lewis shook his head, albeit gingerly. His sad snort was distorted by the blood blocking his airway. "Come now...Natalie. You and I both...know I'm...not going anywhere. Not after...this."

I glanced up at the sky for a second, willing my tears not to fall. The lump in my throat was throbbing more than my head now. "Yeah, but...who's going to be my drinking buddy then? Who's going to come kick me in the ass when I'm upset or worried or need someone to help me with those mounds of paperwork?" I forced myself to grin, but it was weak. "You can bet the after-action reports on this mission are going to be tedious as hell. And they aren't going to write themselves."

My XO and best friend tried to chuckle, but went into a coughing fit over the blood. I knelt there a moment not knowing what to say or do, holding onto his hand tight, like I could stop him from dying if I just gripped hard enough. I listened to his labored breathing until he spoke again.

I felt a part of myself collapse when I heard the distinct quiver in his voice.

"Natalie, my boy...I'm never going to see him. I'll never get to say hello to my little newborn son. Never see him and my little girl grow up." He took in an anguished breath. "And Claire...I'm leaving them without a father, her without a husband..."

"Dean, listen to me," I said with fierce conviction, for his sake. "You're leaving them _everything_. You're giving them a future, buddy. None of this is in vain." _If only I could believe that_, I thought. _What good is that going to do them when Lewis will still be dead?_

I was startled when I felt Dean squeeze my hand.

"Tell them...tell them I love them, Cooper. And tell them, tell my baby boy, my little girl...tell them I'm...sorry."

"Lewis..." It was getting harder and harder to contain my emotions, but I needed to be strong for him. "You're going to tell them yourself. You have to. You're my best friend, you crazy redhead."

That earned me a ghost of a smile, the last one I'd ever see on his face. Not a moment later he got pale as he started choking on the blood.

"Lewis? Lewis? No, no, no!"

He stopped struggling too soon. It felt too fucking _soon_. The fight for his life seemed over before it began - although rationally, I still didn't know how long we'd both been lying out here since the explosion. I wondered fleetingly where Doc Reynolds and the rest of Bravo were, but in the moment, I didn't have anymore brain power left to contemplate anything.

I couldn't think of anything right now except for my best friend's limp hand in mine.

It only became clear to me a few minutes later that Dean Lewis was never coming back. He wasn't going to open his eyes in a while if I kept squeezing his hand, and he wasn't going to get up and start walking around and grin anytime, either. He was gone, dead, permanently. Everything we'd suffered through together, from the battle in Cote D'Azur where we both thought we were going to die any second to fighting the Flood in Austria to this...and now he was really, truly, gone.

The enormity of the loss hit me all at once. I leaned over his torso armor till I had my face buried in his neck, ignoring the stinging, savage protests from my arm and my own weak feeling from my wounds, and began to sob. With no one else around to hear it, I let go and sobbed hard, unable to stop.

Even if there had been anyone else nearby, it wouldn't have mattered to me one bit.


	55. Chapter 54: Moments in Time

Author's Note: Quick update this time, since I decided writing a new chapter of my Halo story was more entertaining than doing work for my political theory class. ;) Again, there will be a few canon discrepancies to help this fit in with my version of events. Thanks a bunch for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Four: Moments in Time  
**

**0147 Hours, February 26, 2553. Near the City of Voi, Kenya. "The Resurgence," Planet Earth. Day Forty-Three of the Fate of Humanity**

I blacked out again sometime after Dean breathed his last, his scorched dogtags curled around my fingers. The black smoke that rose from all the damaged vehicles surrounding us made it hard to find any oxygenated air to breathe, and my body was already fighting against shock and blood loss from the wounds on my arm. Just before I lost consciousness, I briefly realized that my mangled arm was actually starting to grow numb now, but I hadn't had the time to focus on it. One minute I was wheezing in the middle of the smoky haze with my best friend's bloodied corpse beside me, and the next I was laying flat on the ground, lost in formless oblivion.

It was a familiar voice that finally brought me back.

"Natalie? _Natalie__!_"

I didn't even recognize it at first, that voice I'd know anywhere. It seemed far away, like a dream, and I knew he couldn't really be here with me anyway. I coughed on the dusty debris I inhaled into my lungs and tried to roll over. The voice stopped me.

"No, honey. Don't." One of his hands grasped my other shoulder firmly to keep me in place. "Your arm's pretty bad, Coop. Try not to move."

Blinking hard, I managed to tilt my head up a little so I could finally confirm who it was. "Willis?"

My husband gave me a weak, fleeting grin. "Yeah. Glad you still know who I am, at least."

"But how...?"

"Shh. Not now. I'll explain everything later. Right now I've got to get you out of here, ok?"

My head was still throbbing and felt full of fuzz - I couldn't seem to form and keep a coherent thought for more than half a second. "Will," I protested, my voice coming out strained and a little panicked. "Will, what's going on?"

"I said I'll explain in a bit." He said the words in a rush, not out of exasperation, but out of nervous fear. My interpretation of his tone was confirmed when I saw him glance around quickly before returning his attention to me. "You don't have any meds on you, do you? Something Doc might've given you to keep for later?"

I tried shaking my head, but that just ended up making me dizzy. So I mumbled a low, "No," instead.

Willis let out a frustrated sigh. "Fuck, Natalie. I really don't want to do this to you."

"Huh? Do what?"

He took my hand and squeezed. "I promised I'd never hurt you, but trust me when I say I don't have any other choice right now."

"What? Will, please. Just tell me what the hell is - "

"I have to put your shoulder back into place - it's dislocated." He gave me a distressed look. "And that's going to hurt. A lot."

I took in a deep breath without thinking, as if to preemptively prepare myself for it. My mind still wasn't running at full capacity yet, but pain and necessity were concepts not easily muddled. I grit my teeth and said, "Ok. Just do it then, and be quick."

Willis nodded and motioned to me with his arm. "Sit up."

I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position and grabbed hold of my injured arm while Willis moved to kneel behind me. After gently placing a hand against the back of my battered shoulder, he used his other to grasp my good shoulder so that he'd have something to push against. I heard him take in a breath.

"Ready, Cooper?"

"Yeah." I shut my eyes hard. "Go for it."

The first move I made to force my arm out wasn't too bad. But then Willis started to put pressure on my scapula with his palm, and each tiny muscle movement made me bite down hard on the collar of my uniform. Willis finally stopped when I let out a pained groan I wasn't able to contain.

My husband leaned over my good shoulder to look at me. "Natalie? Are you ok?"

"Just...fine," I managed through clenched teeth. I could feel beads of sweat beginning to form on my forehead, and my breathing had picked up a little now. "I knew this was going to hurt bad and it does, but you have to keep going."

Willis nodded again and got back into position, placing his hand on my shoulder once more. The pain was even worse the second time he tried to pop it back in, but I was able to keep my mouth shut until I felt the sudden rush of relief. I opened my eyes and released a long breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"How's that?" my husband asked hesitantly.

"Better," I replied, a little out of breath. "Much...better. Thanks."

I sat there for another moment, adjusting to the odd absence of discomfort, then turned around to face him. I didn't even have to say anything, and neither did Willis. When he saw I'd more or less recovered, he carefully wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into an embrace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as I leaned into him. He kissed the side of my head and ran his hand soothingly through my hair. I heard his voice crack for the briefest of seconds. "I'm so sorry, Cooper."

Between this and my best friend's death, I felt closer to breaking than ever. I buried my face in his chest and struggled to keep my emotions contained as I all but clung to him. He smelled of sweat and smoke, probably same as me, but he also still had that musky scent that was entirely his own. That was more comforting to me than having a whole army of Spartans at my back.

"I know," I replied softly. I wrapped my good arm tighter around him. "I'm glad you're here, Will."

"Captain!"

Willis and I both turned at the same time. My husband quickly got down on one knee beside me and brought his submachine gun to bear, searching the darkness for the source of the voice. He lowered his weapon when he saw it was Doc Reynolds.

The medic smiled sheepishly as he approached. "I meant Captain Cooper, sir."

Willis snorted. "It's about damn time, Doc. Do you even know how long she's been lying out here?"

"I'm sitting right here," I pointed out before the medic could answer. "I may have a fucked up arm, but I expect you both not to talk about me like I'm not present."

"Sorry, ma'am. Let me take a look at your shrapnel wounds."

"No, not here," Willis interjected. "It's not safe with just the three of us. We need to get back to the rest of the company first."

The latter part of his statement managed to make it through to my jumbled mind, even though I was still having a hard time focusing and keeping things straight in my head. I'd never felt this mentally out of touch before. "Doc, where's...where's Bravo? Did the rest all make it safe?"

"Yes, ma'am. The XO and a lance corporal were the only major casualties of the skirmish - apart from you, of course. Lieutenant Frederick is commanding at the moment."

"But...where?"

"Up the road a ways, Captain. We made it into Voi. When our vehicles and that Scorpion tank next to you and the XO got hit, the Covies were pounding us hard. Some large fires got started. None of us could get back here to get to you till they died down, so Lieutenant Frederick ordered us all to wait it out in a safer position. It was hard finding this exact wreckage again after that - the whole damn highway's full of charred vehicles and bodies. We had no way of knowing if it was you and Lewis or...just anybody else." His voice went quiet as he glanced down at my best friend, lying scant feet away. Reynolds diligently checked his pulse, although he probably knew well Lewis was dead just by looking at him. "Shit. The XO didn't make it, huh? We didn't make it in time to save him."

That was the last thing I wanted to be reminded of. I tried to block it out of my mind even as I held Dean's dogtags tighter in my hand. "No. You didn't."

Willis squeezed my good shoulder in silent support, but was still adamant about departing. "Let's just get moving, Doc. We don't want to be out here any longer than we need to be."

"Yes, sir."

I gripped my husband's arm firmly when he made a move to help me stand. I was struggling to make sense of his hurry and anxiousness - and cursing the fact that I couldn't seem to think clearly enough to connect the dots.

Dean was dead. My best friend was _dead_. I wasn't ready to leave him yet. Couldn't Willis see that?

"Will, wait. What about...what about Lewis?"

"There's nothing we can do for him anymore, Natalie," he replied softly. "The burial squads'll...they'll take care of his body once the area's secure. I'm sorry, honey, I really am. I'm not trying to be insensitive, but trust me, for now, we've _got_ to go."

I didn't have any choice but to give in. One thing even I could tell in my discombobulated state was that there was something larger going on, and I trusted Willis's judgment. I moved slightly to place a hand on my best friend's chest in a goodbye gesture, holding back fresh tears, and let Willis and Reynolds help me to my feet. When we turned, I could see a functioning Warthog up ahead, with a Marine scanning the roadway behind his mounted machine gun. By the time we got up close, I was able to see it was my aide, Corporal Porter.

That was the last thing I registered before the world disappeared again.

* * *

"Hey, Coop. Natalie? Can you hear me? I thought you said she was coming around."

"She is, sir. Just give her a minute to get up to speed. She took some pretty hard hits to the head earlier from what I can tell, and that doesn't help."

"But the scans check out, right?"

"Yes, Captain. Your wife is fine. No skull fractures, no permanent damage. These are just temporary effects from the blast and the trauma she's endured, sir. Please be patient."

I heard booted feet walking away next. An orderly?

Someone squeezed my hand before I could fully think out my previous thought, becoming the new focus of attention. The touch was familiar and warm. Heartening.

Willis's smiling face greeted me when I finally opened my eyes.

"Hey. It's good to see you're still alive." His grin momentarily widened when I managed an upward curl of my lips at his words. "How're you feeling, honey?"

"Good," I replied, though I found it odd that my voice came out sounding sleepy. I didn't feel sleepy. Just...light. "Real good."

Willis chuckled. "Yeah, that's the morphine talking. Better than seeing you in pain, though."

I squeezed his hand back and took a moment to survey my surroundings. Wearing only my T-shirt, battledress pants, and boots, I was lying on a cot in a small, semi-open space with a reinforced roof and two Marine guards. I had an IV going through my good arm, while the other looked freshly cleaned and bandaged - though I still couldn't move it much when I tried. There was only one orderly in the place that I could see, plus a couple of medics, and a handful of other cots around. "We're not...in a field hospital, are we?"

"Nope, nothing that fancy. We're still on the lines, Coop. This is the last medical tent in Voi that hasn't been...overrun."

I heard a slight hesitation in his last sentence and wondered about that. After seeing the state New Mombasa had been in, I wasn't all that surprised to find out Voi wasn't faring much better, either. But the way Willis had said those words made me curious.

That's when it all suddenly clicked. Willis's urgency when we were still on the highway, his rush to get back to where there were other Marines. His fear.

"The Flood are here, aren't they?"

My husband let out an exhausted sigh and took a deep breath before answering. "Yeah. We got the groundside transmission a few hours ago. One of those infected ships we've been finding all over lately crash-landed somewhere in the city, and they've started to spread." He saw my alarmed expression and began to stroke my hand with his thumb. "Don't worry. Things aren't as bad here as I heard they were in New Mombasa. More of our forces survived the invasion here in Voi, Natalie. There's a lot more Marines and ODSTs left to help fight this thing."

"Will, that just means there's more potential hosts here. How are we going to stop the Flood when we can't even get a decent handle on the Covenant?"

"That's why I'm on the ground, Coop. I'm under orders to help evacuate the remaining forces. Straight from the very top."

I gave him a quizzical look.

"HighCom knows we can't do this on our own," he explained. "Major Collins said they want all of us to leave so the Elites can glass the city. It's the only way to stop the Flood." He leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine before I could reply, looking as weary as I felt. "We're going to make it, Cooper. We just have to hold out for a few days while we wait for everyone to get to the RV point."

I brought my good arm up gingerly, not wanting to disrupt the IV flow, and placed it on his stubbled cheek. "One last push, huh?"

"Yeah, Coop. One last push."

His lips soon met mine as I pulled him in for a quick kiss. At least for that one fleeting moment, I felt I could believe.

"Then let's make it count."

* * *

I walked out of the medical tent a couple hours later in pain and with a stiff arm, but on my own two feet.

Because my right side was wound tight in bandages and filled with biofoam where they'd taken out the shrapnel, I still wasn't up to using any assault weapons quite yet. So, I picked up the remaining few clips of pistol ammo that sat in a crate in the back before I left and pulled out my sidearm again. _Left hand it is, _I thought to myself. _I just hope that doesn't skew my shots too bad._

With Willis gone to attend to his own duties, I made my way over to where Bravo Company was keeping a small perimeter watch at the edge of the highway. Luckily, First Lieutenant Casey Frederick wasn't hard to spot.

Though he was too seasoned to stand at attention or salute, the young platoon leader did straighten as I approached. "Ma'am. It's good to have you back, Captain."

I snorted and flashed him a tired grin. "It's good to be alive is more like it. Ready to give me a sitrep?"

"Yes, ma'am. Company's had some time to recoup while you were getting treated, Captain. Not much activity from the Covies so far, but I wouldn't bet on it staying this quiet for long."

"That's the right sentiment to have, Lieutenant. You're going to make a fine XO of Bravo Company."

His eyes went wide. "Lieutenant Lewis is dead, ma'am?"

I wasn't about to tear up in front of a subordinate, despite how badly the words made me feel on the inside. "Yeah. Job's on you now, Casey. Make the most of it."

"I'll do my best, Captain."

I was ready to fill Frederick in on the details Willis had given me when a corporal I'd never seen before ran up to us. It was clear from his patches that he was from a different unit.

"Sorry to interrupt, Captain, but my CO wanted to make sure you heard the news. He tried to get a hold of you by COM but they said you were temporarily unavailable."

"What news, Corporal?"

The Marine swallowed hard. "Covie bastards leveled New Mombasa just now, ma'am. One of their ships jumped to Slipspace from inside the city. Everything is...it's all wiped out."


	56. Chapter 55: Voi, Act I

Author's Note: Massive, massive apologies for the super long delay. I have many good excuses for this, but likely you're uninterested in hearing them, so I'm just going to dive straight into the new chappie. ;)

Also, the two-part finale starts here, to be followed by a two-part epilogue. Hope everyone had a good holiday season/New Years, and I hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Five: Voi, Act I**

**0430 Hours, March 1, 2553. City of Voi, Kenya. "The Parasite, Part One," Planet Earth. Day Forty-Six of the Fate of Humanity**

I was four years old when I attended my father's funeral. Being a commander in the UNSC Navy with a large family and hundreds of dedicated crew members who'd admired him as a leader, my dad's memorial service had been a big to-do. Even now, years later, all I remembered was the fanfare. I guess that's all a four-year-old could take in at the time, the only thing a four-year-old could understand. She couldn't quite grasp the fact that her daddy was gone forever, couldn't understand why there was a closed box and flowers and crying people ringed around a hole in the dirt.

Shots were fired, one, two, three from each towering uniformed man in a row of ten. I remembered that part, too. I learned later at the Naval Academy that it was a three rifle volley, standard at military funerals. But at that young age, as a little girl, all I could think about when I heard the rounds go off were fireworks. Why was everyone crying if we were celebrating?

Fourteen years later, I attended another funeral. I remembered everything about that one. Willis had his fingers entwined with my own as we stood solemnly side-by-side. My then-boyfriend was gripping my hand so hard it hurt, without meaning to. I'd wanted to say something, but then I glanced up at his face through my own blurred vision and saw him struggling to contain his tears. It was his little brother Matthew inside the casket up at the altar this time. There weren't any rifles fired.

I was twenty-three and five months pregnant with Gabriel when I got word that my older sister Jenna had been killed in action. By then I'd been so used to attending memorial services I dressed in a loose-fitting Class A uniform, hopped on a transport, and arrived without feeling a hint of emotion. It all hit when I walked over to the cemetery in our hometown on Mars and saw my brothers, my younger sister, and my mom all dressed in black. I'd never wished for Willis's presence more forcefully than I did that day, but he'd been stationed far away with his squadron then and hadn't been granted leave to attend. With my husband on duty and my brother Mark standing with his wife, I stood with my younger siblings Travis and Allison on either side of me instead. I'd missed them; it was the first time we'd all been together since I'd graduated from the Academy three years earlier. It would have been a nice Cooper family reunion if it hadn't been for the fact that one of us was dead.

I hoped that neither Willis nor I would be added to the list of the dead of this war anytime soon. Because there had already been far, far too many. For both of us.

"Ma'am, Captain Hawk reports he's lifted off to take back the next group of Marines," Corporal Porter informed me as he approached. "ETA for our extraction is four hours from now, Captain."

"Four hours, huh?" _In four hours, the Flood could finally overrun our position or worse_, I thought to myself. _And the remainder of the Covenant forces haven't been making this any easier on us, either. _

"Yes, ma'am."

"Start the timer then, Corporal," I said with a slight smirk as I looked out across the dark streets. "Let's see if my husband keeps his promise."

My aide gave me a small grin in return. "Got it, Captain. Setting timer now."

**- 03:59:59 -**

Since I was without a HUD again, I pulled out my datapad and watched for a moment as the countdown to our extraction began. I wasn't expecting Willis to be that precise - few things other than electronics could be, and even those got buggy every once in a while. But if there was anyone I knew thoroughly well, it was him. Willis would make sure we made it out okay.

And maybe seeing how close we were to safety would help us get through the hours to come.

As I shoved my datapad back in my cargo pocket, I turned back to face Porter. I wiped the sweat across my forehead with my good arm, and tried to move the other as little as possible – it still hurt like all hell, and I'd run out of painkillers yesterday. "All right, Josh. Now, while I try to reconfigure our lines to make up for the Marines that just left, I want you to check the guns. Find out how many are still functional, how many need more ammo, and how many need more manpower. We're limited on supplies now, so once I get the numbers on everything, I'll decide which positions are important enough to get the remaining equipment and Marines. Is all of that understood, Corporal?"

"Yes, ma'am."

I let out a tired sigh; I knew I couldn't afford to drop the ball now. "Good. Then get moving, Porter. The Flood and the Covies should be hitting us hard again soon, and we need to be ready."

* * *

Predictably, things had gone from bad to worse when I'd been indirectly notified of Captain Hayden's death four days ago. The loss of all of Charlie Company was a great one - the loss of the entire city of New Mombasa even greater in the grand scheme of things. But more personally, Hayden was yet another close friend of mine who'd made the ultimate sacrifice in this war. I knew there was nothing I could do about that now, but the raw hurt was still there, buried for the moment beneath my current duties and responsibilities. Now, more than ever, I was determined to make the lives of him and Dean and all the other Marines the 102nd Battalion had lost lately count.

As I approached our main row of machine gun emplacements, there as a line of defense to keep the LZ clear for when Willis arrived, I couldn't help but notice just how many supplies we'd gone through in the last few days. Even with the help of the other units still in Voi, fending off wave after wave of the parasite had taken its toll. We had a fair amount of MREs left because no one had been able to eat for hours, but other essentials like stims were hard to come by, and we were nearly out of everything else.

Hence my relief that we were set to leave soon.

"Well, Porter?" I asked, standing over him as he crouched beside the large fifty caliber gun. My aide was just finishing loading the large belt of ammo in his arms. "What's the diagnosis on this thing?"

"Still serviceable, Captain." With the reload complete, he primed the weapon for firing and checked the sights. "The gun's got some scorch marks and blood on it, but it looks like it works."

"Guess I can't complain too much then. What's this bring our tally up to?"

"Six MGs left, ma'am. It'll get down to the wire; this gun is only getting the one belt of ammo."

I let the information sink in as I knelt down on the other side of the weapon, more or less level with Porter now. I reached between us with my left hand to make sure it was properly set. _Yeah, this is going to be a bitch of a fight, _I thought to myself. _Hopefully Will gets here when he said he would. _

When I pulled my good arm back and rested it on my holster reflexively, the corporal met my gaze before I stood.

"Ma'am? Can I ask you a question, if you don't mind?"

"Shoot."

Corporal Porter gestured to the right side of my upper body, which was almost entirely covered in tightly wound bandages. "How's your arm, ma'am?"

I gave him a faint grin. "Also serviceable, but barely. Doc wanted me to keep it in a sling since I'm not supposed to move it, but I said no. It's almost physically impossible for me to do much more than wiggle my fingers because of the damage, but if I get in a tight spot I don't want to be too encumbered. Finger's all you need to pull a trigger."

Slowly he smiled back. "Oorah, Captain."

What I didn't mention was just how damn much it hurt - my shoulder, my arm, all of it. I felt half-broken and hated that I was now limited in what I could do to help. But at least I was alive, for the moment, and that was more than Dean Lewis could say. _And I guess if I get taken over by the Flood, _I mused, _the bright side is that I'd be a crippled one and pretty easy for the rest of the Marines to take down. _

It wasn't the most encouraging thought I'd ever had, but it was better than admitting to myself just how terrifying it was whenever the parasite did show up. The last time Bravo had encountered them had been last night - not too many hours ago, really. The sun had just gone down after a long day of fighting Covenant, and we'd all been beyond exhausted. It was all we could do to keep the Flood at bay until reinforcements had arrived. If the remaining Helljumpers hadn't come in from the flanks to help us out, we probably wouldn't have made it through.

_Enough, Cooper, _I thought to myself with an involuntary shiver as I straightened. _None of this reminiscing is good, or healthy. Focus on the here and now._

"Porter, I'm going to go make the rounds, make sure everyone knows to be ready to pull out fast in a few hours," I said to him. "I want you to man the gun in the meantime. I'll get someone to relieve you when I get back."

"Ma'am?"

"I'm going to need to keep you with me for communication purposes. If Wi - if Captain Hawk ends up having to come in late, I need to know about it."

"Yes, ma'am."

I looked out again at the expanse of urban jungle in the dark, as far as I could see without an electronic suite. As I gripped my pistol with my left hand, I added, "The Flood should be hitting us again before dawn, Corporal. Stay sharp."

* * *

It was hard to see in the pitch black of early morning. I had to step carefully through the debris scattered all over the streets as I made my way towards each platoon, making sure my combat boots didn't lose traction because of splattered gore or Flood juice on the ground that hadn't quite dried up yet. And there was a lot of it. We'd been fighting nearly nonstop ever since we'd arrived in Voi. I knew we were all drained from the relentless attacks of not one but two deadly enemies - I was constantly in pain from my recent wounds, constantly fatigued, constantly hungry, constantly aching and sore. But we had to keep going. That was going to be a little easier to do now that we had a definite extraction time. I was glad to finally be able to give my Marines a piece of good news.

All we had to do was make it through the morning.

I stopped by each platoon in order, going to first platoon before the others. I spoke for a minute with Lieutenant Hillburn, told her that we were to leave soon and to keep her platoon awake and alert in the meantime. Then I took a few more minutes to speak to a couple of the Marines under her command, offering words of encouragement and praising all their hard work so far. Morale had been slowly dipping in the last week as the fighting dragged on and grew more intense, so I hoped to get everyone in better spirits for our final fight. After that I did the same with Lieutenant Frederick's second platoon, and Second Lieutenant Brian Lloyd's third platoon, my best friend's former XO, now in charge.

Then it was time to head back to where Corporal Porter was maintaining the perimeter. Wondering why the enemy hadn't come for us yet, I checked the countdown on my datapad.

**- 03:24:15 -**

I let out a long sigh then and wished my picture of Gabriel hadn't been destroyed on the highway. I would've liked to see his face one last time before we fought.

* * *

Just after 0500 we started to hear the sounds. My aide and I were crouched just behind the machine gun emplacement, keeping our eyes peeled from movement and ears alert to any noise. The pain in my head and shoulder and arm were steadily getting worse, making it hard for me to concentrate, but as soon as I heard the high-pitched commotion, it instantly became the center of my attention. I felt a bead of sweat run down my back the second it entered my eardrums, and I unconsciously held my sidearm tighter.

Corporal Porter and I exchanged a quick glance before my brain pushed past the feeling of stark terror and kicked into gear.

"Josh, open a company-wide channel, now," I ordered. "I'm sure no one missed that, but just the same, tell all platoon leaders to be on alert and have the men hunker down. Wait to fire on my mark."

"Yes, ma'am. Relaying your orders."

Meanwhile, the sounds continued, seemingly all around us. I wasn't sure if it was because I was so used to hearing them lately that my mind was exaggerating the effect or if it was the fear, but it felt like the noise was scraping against the inside of my skull. I swallowed and shut my eyes hard for a moment, trying to focus on taking in one breath at a time to calm myself down. No matter how many times I faced the Flood, I realized I was never going to get used to it.

The moment Porter indicated he'd cut the connection, the two Marines manning the MG in front us turned back.

"Captain! Contacts!"

Since I was without a HUD, I frantically pulled out my field binoculars and took a look. The first wave of parasitic beings weren't that far away, but in the dark they'd been hard to spot with the naked eye. As soon as I saw them I shoved the binoculars back into my pocket and gripped my pistol again.

"Marines, wait for the mines to go off, and then open up!" I shouted to the two machine gunners. Then I looked at my aide. "Porter, send that message out to the rest of Bravo. We need to take out as many of those things as we can so they don't reach our lines, understood?"

He nodded, looking pale but determined. "Got it, Captain."

It wasn't long before a string of loud explosions began rocking the earth. Just after the attack we'd managed to beat back last night, I'd had our demolitions team set out our last remaining anti-personnel mines - rigged with a few extra Flood-shredding goodies, since we'd only had about a dozen left. Now it was less than thirty seconds into the fight, and half that ordnance was already gone.

_I hope they took a ton of those creatures with it_, I thought.

Even while the ground beneath me continued to quake, the MG in front of us finally opened up. The Marines rattled off a short burst first so they could see where the tracers hit, then unleashed a longer stream of gunfire once they'd aimed properly. Soon, the next closest MG opened up too, and then another and another.

One minute in and every single machine gun down the line was going off.

"Porter, tell everyone to place their shots carefully!" I yelled at my aide amid the sounds of gunfire. The only good thing about that was that it had mostly drowned out the Flood noises now. "We are extremely limited on ammo, Corporal! If we finish off everything we've got now, we are going to be very fucked later on!"

All I could do for now was try to keep my head down and watch. I wanted to be out in front with my Marines more than anything, like I should have been, but without the ability to handle any assault or heavy weapons, I couldn't risk it. They still needed direction, and I sure as hell couldn't make much of an impact with only my sidearm. I had four more clips left for it and I needed to save those for if and when the Flood broke through.

I prayed it wouldn't come to that.

Once the corporal had issued my orders, the sound of machine gun fire slowly diminished. I knew then that what decided this battle was going to be a tough juggling act - making sure we kept up a high-enough rate of fire to keep the Flood at bay, but low enough that we didn't expend all our bullets at once. Everything had to balance out just right in order for us to survive.

I wished 'Kuatee and Oliver and Dean were still here, or even Major Phillips. Anyone who'd be in a position to command or support. But this time I was well and truly on my own in this. The other remaining UNSC forces in the city were up to their eyeballs in enemies as well, and they had their own areas to keep clear.

"Ma'am!" Corporal Porter cried beside me then, instantly getting my full attention. His face was still white, but he took a deep breath and spoke clearly. "ODST Lieutenant Dennison reports more Flood on approach, Captain. They're trying to hold them off on our right flank to keep them from overwhelming us, but he says they've gotten into the pipes underground. They could spring up anywhere where there's a sewer grate, ma'am."

"_Dammit_." This was one of the things I'd been afraid of. It was only logical that the parasite would try to get into every nook and cranny, but this way, it didn't matter whether we maintained our perimeter or not. The Flood would be able to breach it anyway. "Porter, open up the company channel again, and one to Dennison as well. Get the Helljumpers to tag each grate in their area that the Flood have come up from so far. I'll send them a schematic of the city's sewer system via datapad and we can figure out where the next possible breaches may occur. Then send the marked maps to each platoon leader in Bravo."

"Right away, ma'am."

Another wave of explosions reverberated across the streets as our second line of mines went up. I ducked instinctively for a second, then raised my head up to see what was happening. Our line of machine guns suddenly began rattling with greater intensity again, too.

The majority of the Flood Infection forms that had been making their way towards us had now been utterly shredded by MG fire and mine blasts. A fair amount of Combat forms had been taken out as well; the closest ones I could see were lying still on the ground in a pool of yellow fluid. But more were still advancing, leaping into battle ahead of the frail spores, charging straight through the hail of bullets.

And firing back.

Spiker rounds and crystalline needles and plasma fire were soon impacting close to our position, eliciting a number of loud curses from the two Marine gunners in front of me and Porter. I heard the Marine manning the large weapon let out an aggressive yell as he started firing faster, keeping his trigger finger pulled down to spray the incoming nightmare creatures. At the same time, the Marine beside him let go of the ammo belt and quickly rose from his crouch to toss a frag grenade into the melee. He ducked back down quickly and the explosive went off a few seconds later, sending Flood juice and parts and rubble straight into the air.

What happened next, however, I never saw coming. Somewhere in the midst of the fighting, while I was focused on the gunners, a huge Covie Flood form leaped in from the ranks further behind. I barely registered its vague resemblance to a Brute before it lifted its grenade launcher and fired.

I hit the dirt hard along with Porter and the other two Marines ahead of us, covering my head with my left arm. Still hanging onto my pistol, I shielded my eyes against the sudden geyser of pulverized concrete and waited for the blast cloud to dissipate. With no helmet to dampen the sound of the Brute shot round detonating, my ears buzzed loud when I finally pushed myself up on my good elbow. When I glanced up one of the Marines was dead, blood pouring out of his broken helmet, and the other looked more than a little stunned at the sudden splatter of red on his uniform. He lost it.

"You son of a bitch!" he roared at the Flood beast. The Marine's voice cracked then with emotion as he repeated more softly, "You son of a fucking bitch."

The young kid was so affected he pulled the trigger of the MG immediately, even though the Flood form was too close. Knowing my Marine wouldn't be able to swivel the heavy gun on his extreme flank, I popped up instead and brought my pistol out.

"Porter!" I shouted as I pumped bullet after bullet into the creature, almost to no avail. "I need you to get up and fire your fucking weapon, Marine! _Now_!"

Without a word the startled corporal brought his MA5C to bear and finally opened up beside me. For a frightening few seconds even his rounds did nothing to stop the Flood form from trying to get at the machine gunner, but the thing eventually slowed and stopped. After taking one of Porter's bursts to the head, the beast let out a warbled moan and flopped right on top of the barrel of the MG. The wet smack and spray of yellow Flood juice caused the gunner to jerk back. A moment later I heard him release a long breath, realizing he was still alive.

For my part, I staggered and concentrated on breathing while the adrenaline coursed through me. I could feel it pounding strongest in my wounds, making my headache that much more painful - and the hurt from my bad arm and shoulder nearly debilitating. For a minute it was all I could do to blink past the white-hot agony to reload my weapon. After swallowing down a sudden feeling of nausea, I looked over at the kid manning the MG.

"Webster, you ok?"

The young Marine momentarily leaned his body against the large weapon, struggling to keep his field of vision away from the dead Flood form and his dead buddy, but he seemed too fixated to move. "Yes, ma'am," he answered tiredly. "I'm ok, Captain."

His reply wasn't very convincing, but I couldn't afford to pull him from the lines. More waves were already on their way.

"You're doing fine, Marine," I assured him. "But I need you to continue manning that gun. Take a deep breath and get it done, Private."

He stared back at me and nodded before getting back into position. "Yes, ma'am."

A few moments later the steady rattle of the MG started up again. The Flood were still bounding in, and now I was down one more man.

That's when I noticed the ammo belt was getting shorter.

"Josh, hoof it to the ODST platoon, and do it fast," I ordered. "Last I knew they had a gun and a few extra belts. We need 'em now." _Especially if the parasite infiltrates our perimeter via the sewers, _I added to myself.

My aide got up immediately and replied, "On it, Captain!"

I knew I was giving up my link to everyone else, but neither Porter nor I would be much use to anyone dead. Besides, Willis was still well over two hours out. There wouldn't be any changes to his ETA quite yet.

In the meantime, the fighting continued to rage at a fierce tempo. With the corporal now gone I moved up closer to the MG, as much to support the gunner as to have someone at my back myself. Various Flood forms and even a few spores occasionally made it past the lead-filled lines and jumped right into our midst, but each time Private Webster and I were able to beat them back, one way or another. Around the time I had just one frag grenade left hanging off my web belt, however, former Marine Flood forms started coming in.

The underground sewer systems had finally been infiltrated. While the Covie Flood forms had been coming at us from the front, these were coming out of side-streets and alleys, indicating they were likely UNSC troops who'd been taken over while performing their duties deeper inside the city. I shuddered to think that there was the very real possibility we'd meet the same fate.

_No, _I thought to myself. _Not me. Not my Marines. I will _never_ be one of those freak creatures. Not ever._ I wasn't one for taking truly extreme measures. But if push came to shove, allowing myself to get tapped by the Flood - to get all my thoughts, memories, feelings, and the essence of who I was as a person wiped clean - was not going to be an option.

As a group of Flood Infection forms swarmed towards our position, I aimed and fired my pistol at them in quick succession, each round turning one or two of the balloon poppers into fleshy ribbons. I heard the _click_ of the spent clip then as I took out the last one and cursed, ducking back to reload. The ammo in my cartridge pouches was already long gone, so I fished around in my pockets instead. Only one more clip was left once I slapped a fresh one home.

Private Webster was also on his last string of bullets. If Corporal Porter didn't get back soon, we were definitely cooked.

When the Marine stopped firing for a moment to acquire a target, keeping in mind what I'd said before about uselessly expending the little ammunition we had left, I turned to him quickly and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Give me your sidearm, Private." I was almost out and it was the only weapon I could currently use because of my wounds. He was manning a machine gun - and if that ran out, he still had his SMG slung behind his back.

"Yes, ma'am," he responded, pulling his gun out of its holster and handing it to me. I stuck the weapon on my belt, then kept surveying the area to see where the Flood were still coming from. Maybe if my aide got back in time, I could get two of my platoons to push in on the flanks. Funnel the parasite forward and -

"_Captain_!" I suddenly heard Webster yell beside me. "That things got a - !"

The rest of his statement was drowned out by a loud _whoosh_, followed almost instantly by a huge detonation nearly on top of our position. I'd only been able to half-crouch in time, and for the next several moments, the whole world was dead to me.

When I came to, my vision was hazy and I couldn't hear a damn thing. The Marine next to me was either passed out or dead, the machine gun nothing but smoking metal wreckage. I shut my eyes hard and pressed my face into the dirty ground when I tried to move. My mouth opened to scream at the sudden intensity of the pain, but if I did cry out, I never heard it.

The Flood were closing in.

Someone must've taken out the beast wielding the SPNKR, because no other rockets made it our way to finish us off. But the wave of walking nightmares was still on fast approach. I could hear them even past the incessant ringing in my ears.

I was _not_ going to become one of them.

Slowly and carefully, I felt around for my weapon. The pistol Private Webster had given me had been thrown in the explosion, and my own sidearm had been knocked out of my hand. I had to find one or the other.

After a moment of panicked searching, I did. Gradually I lifted my head and glanced up, saw the creatures running and waving their rotting, fleshy limbs, moving steadily forward. Towards me.

I looked again at my pistol lying several feet away. It wasn't going to be a good way to go. I didn't want to die but I couldn't take them all on with just that.

And it was better than losing myself to the Flood.


	57. Chapter 56: Voi, Act II

_"As in life, as in death_

_Breathing till there is no breath_

_I will not die in the night but in the light of the sun_

_With the ashes of this world in my lungs."_ - "City" by Hollywood Undead

**

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Six: Voi, Act II**

**0606 Hours, March 1, 2553. City of Voi, Kenya. "The Parasite, Part Two," Planet Earth. Day Forty-Six of the Fate of Humanity**

The Flood were approaching hideously fast. I didn't have any more time to contemplate what I was about to do. I had to do it, now, or know that I would slowly get my mind fucked, invaded, _r__aped_.

But I couldn't. When I reached for my pistol and my left hand was finally gripping the cold metal of the gun, all I could think about was Willis and Gabe. I couldn't do this to them, no matter how much more terrifying the alternative was. I decided in that moment that even if the parasite took everything from me, at least I would know I'd tried to fight. At least I wasn't just giving up and throwing away my own life.

I turned instead to fire at the incoming mass of spores. For the first few minutes, the only indication that my weapon was going off was the recoil I felt as the pistol bucked in my hand. Then, when my hearing gradually began to come back, I started to hear its sharp report. By then I'd reduced a dozen of the things to confetti, but there were still more on approach.

And it was time for me to reload. I scrambled to eject the spent clip and slammed in a new one, the last clip of ammo left in my pocket.

One of the nearest Covie Flood forms came bounding in at me then, reaching with its grotesque limbs, trying to slap me hard enough to break something or momentarily daze me. I rolled to the side, onto my bandaged arm with the weight of my armor and gear on top of it - as well as my own. I stifled a groan against the dirt and brought my pistol hand up to fire, but I was in too much pain to complete the motion. I was spent, mentally and physically, and so I didn't fight it when even my good arm fell. I knew then that I was done.

But _I_ hadn't given up; my body had. I closed my eyes and waited for the end, moving my left hand just enough so that I could grab onto the chain of my dogtags as I went.

That's when I heard Corporal Porter's MA5C going off close by my head.

For a second I was too stunned to react. I'd been so sure I was going to die that I already _felt_ dead - I couldn't move an inch even if I wanted to at the moment. I just lay there with eyes shut hard and listened to the fighting that ensued. I heard the Flood creature that was going to send me into the beyond let out a hideous screech, then warble as bullets tore into its decaying flesh. I smelled the yellow fluid erupting from its body. I felt sick.

And then I heard a louder weapon open up.

My body seemed to reawaken after that. The first movement I was able to make was to shove both hands against my ears, which was harder than it sounded because of my injured side. I concentrated on breathing and waited until the gun stopped going off to open my eyes again. Crouched in front of me was Corporal Porter, facing the direction of the Flood. He turned back when he saw me start to get up and slipped an arm beneath my good one to help me rise.

"Captain?" he shouted into my ear. "You ok?"

In lieu of speech I gave him a wobbly thumbs-up, pistol in my hand again. It was the best I could manage for the time being.

Doc Reynolds came rushing in behind us then and moved quickly to Private Webster. After giving the young Marine an initial assessment, Reynolds called out, "He's alive!" Then he grabbed the kid by the shoulders of his torso armor and dragged him behind a concrete barricade to treat him away from the Flood. I didn't even remember hearing anyone call for the medic.

I was glad to know that Webster wasn't dead, but that didn't mean we were safe enough for me to breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Once I was able to get on my knees, I pitched in to help beat back the wave of Flood that had been seconds away from either killing me or turning me. It took the three of us several minutes of near-continuous firing before things died down enough for us to pause. I used the spare moment to quickly check the timer on my datapad.

**- 02:26:51 -  
**

I was completely out of ammunition now, so I knew my current priority was to find that pistol Webster had given me. But first, I had to figure out just how we were going to maintain this position for another two hours and change. I sat down heavily on the ground behind the destroyed MG and drew my knees up a little as Doc Reynolds treated Webster nearby, saying nothing. Truth be told, I was still very much in shock that I was even alive.

My aide looked at me as soon as I was seated, the ammo belts draped around his neck _clink_ing together when he moved. "Ma'am? Orders?"

I held up a hand. "Just give me a fucking minute, all right?"

Feeling strained and more than a little overwhelmed, I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair, trying to get my thoughts together. I pulled my canteen from my web belt and unscrewed the cap, took a long drink of water, then raised the canteen above my head and squeezed it. The cool water felt good as it dripped down my head, neck, and dirty face. I wiped at it with my good hand for a moment, then dried it against the short sleeve of my T-shirt. After that I took in another breath and glanced back up at Corporal Porter, feeling a little more refreshed and alert now. A little more present. "Ok, Josh. What do you need?"

"Orders, ma'am. What are we doing next?"

I snorted. "Hopefully, we're getting our asses out of here soon." I was done with Africa. I wanted to leave and never look back. In the span of just a few weeks I'd lost two of my best friends, an unacceptable number of my Marines, and had come to death's doorstep myself more times than I could count. I was miserable and dirty and in pain and feeling nauseous, and I was tired of feeling all of these things. But for the moment I sucked it up, because as long as I was still breathing and able to function, I had a job to do. "As long as the Flood are giving us a respite, I want one squad from each platoon hitting those marked sewer grates with any grenades we've got left. Porter, I need you to issue that order now, and first."

The corporal nodded, looking like he felt better now that he had something to do. "Yes, ma'am."

I turned to the newcomer next, our gunner. He was a broad-shouldered ODST sergeant about my age, and he had short, dark blonde hair that was caked with dried blood on one side. It seemed like he'd seen enough action for one day, too, even before he'd been sent to help Corporal Porter carry the Helljumpers' extra MG. "Sergeant, I want you to keep manning the lines until - and if - Private Webster gets patched up. Is that clear?"

Unlike Porter, who'd quickly jumped to execute my orders, the sergeant glanced at me and sneered instead. "I respect your rank, Captain, but I won't take orders from a grunt. I'm here because my CO, Lieutenant Dennison, ordered me to be here, and I'll do the job he sent me to do. Otherwise, if you're not a Helljumper, _ma'am_, I've got nothing to say to you."

I'd put up with too much in the last several days to also put up with this ODST's attitude. I just didn't have that much patience left. "Fine, don't take my orders. You can feel free to get killed instead, I really don't give a shit. But I need a gunner, and I'm assuming you want to live. So while we're stuck in this fucked up symbiosis, your ass is mine, and you _will _follow my orders. Do you understand?"

The sergeant's expression darkened, but eventually he nodded. "Clear, Captain."

"Good. Then keep an eye out for enemy activity. They're not giving us this break for nothing, and in any case, it won't be for very long."

Corporal Porter walked back up to our position then, cutting off anything else the Helljumper sergeant might have wanted to add. Before he spoke, my aide took a breath and wiped the sweat rolling down the sides of his face. "Ma'am, got it done. I got in touch with Lieutenants Hillburn, Frederick, and Lloyd, let 'em know to tag those grates. They said they'd be reporting back in five, Captain."

"All right, good. That'll be one less thing to worry about if the Flood don't have as much of an element of surprise anymore."

"Anything else, ma'am?"

I shook my head and let out a sigh. "Now we wait again, Corporal."

* * *

I knew that the first several explosions I heard nearby were ours - from the squads I'd ordered to take care of the Flood-infested sewers. They were mostly muted and a little eerie, especially when the sounds of the muffled detonations were drowned out by the high-pitched noise of Infection forms trying to get out. Then there'd be a burst of gunfire or two and everything would go quiet again.

Despite his bitching and moaning, the ODST sergeant before me remained vigilant for incoming enemies while I reconfigured Bravo's lines again. Porter stayed crouched beside him, holding his assault rifle tight as they strained to listen. It felt like the tension in the air could be cut with a knife it was so thick, but still nothing came. No reports of movement from any of the platoons, nothing coming at us from underground anymore, no sign of the Covenant even. Strange, given the sudden ferocity with which the parasite had attacked our position a short while ago.

That just made me even more nervous. I couldn't shake the feeling that something big was on the horizon, and I didn't really have much in the way of manpower or supplies to stop it.

But we had to find a way.

"Captain," I heard Doc Reynolds say from behind me after a few more minutes. He waited for me to look up from my datapad before he continued. "I've got an update for you, ma'am."

"Webster?" I asked.

"Yes, ma'am. That blast rang his bell pretty good - he's got a few deep cuts from the shrapnel and a concussion. Otherwise, though, he's ok, Captain."

"That's really great to hear, Doc. Thanks."

"I'm going to let him rest a little longer while things stay quiet, and then I'll let him back on the lines, ma'am. He's all patched up now but could use a few more minutes to get his bearings."

"Got it." After slipping my datapad back into my cargo pocket, I picked up the private's pistol from the ground and moved up beside my aide. I heard Doc Reynolds move back behind the concrete barricade to check on Webster while I tapped Corporal Porter on the shoulder. He turned around a little too quick but relaxed when he saw it was me.

"Captain?"

"More new orders, Josh. I want a sitrep on those sewer grates and an estimate on enemy strength from the Helljumpers. We haven't heard anything from them since you came back with the MG."

"On it, ma'am."

"Then check on the platoons again, Corporal. I want to make sure we're all set for whatever decides to come at us next."

* * *

The Flood attacked once more as the sun came up. It was now almost 0700 hours - still an hour and a half away from extraction. I thought briefly of Willis, hoped he was ok and that the Marines he'd picked up had made it safe - and I hoped to hell he'd be quick to rearm and refuel to pick us up, too.

Like before - like every time we'd ever fought the Flood - it began with the sounds. This time, however, perhaps because we were all so spread out across the lines, it didn't take long for the parasite to manifest itself. In a few more minutes I started to hear the machine guns on our right flank start to open up again, and then Porter turned towards me sharply.

"Ma'am, the company channel's lighting up! I'm getting reports from all platoon leaders in all sectors, Captain. Most of the underground pipes got blocked from the grenade detonations, but not all the Flood were eradicated. Some of the smaller Infection forms are still getting through!"

_Shit,_ I thought. Clearly there would be no rest for the weary here, not that I'd expected it. We'd been lucky enough to get a few moments of respite earlier; now, it was back to business in a big way.

We had no mines, few grenades, and little ammo left. With Private Webster's borrowed pistol in hand, I brought my good arm up to my web belt and gave it a light tap, checking to make sure my final frag was still there. I knew if I ever got down to a last resort decision again, the lone explosive might make all the difference in keeping the Flood from overwhelming us.

"Captain, they're asking for orders!" my aide added then.

"Tell the platoons to stand their ground, Corporal. We've got no choice but to hold this LZ and we've got nowhere else to go. And tell each of them to stay spread out. If the larger-sized units start clumping together, they'll all be Flood forms in no time." Bringing my pistol back up, I moved up closer to our MG and scanned the terrain in front of us. I could see a few Infection forms also bounding our way again, as well as a few Covie combat forms. They were still a little far though. "And what the hell happened to Dennison and his Helljumpers, Porter?"

My aide crouched for a moment then, looking like he was straining to listen over the sounds of battle and the other voices on the COM. A minute later he went absolutely white as he jerked off his helmet and handed it to me. "Here, ma'am. Listen."

I gave him a perplexed look, but picked up the helmet and put it close to my ear, momentarily dropping my pistol on the debris-covered ground. Amid the chatter of reports from my platoon leaders, I heard an agonized scream rip through the main channel.

It was the ODST lieutenant.

"Dennison!" I cried.

The screaming continued until the Helljumper's side of the radio broke off abruptly into fuzzy static. I had no way of knowing if someone had been able to save him or not, or even what was going on with the rest of his platoon. For now, I had to assume the worst.

I tried to shake off the sudden chills that went down my spine as I tossed the helmet back to my aide. "Porter! Get the company back on the line! Tell 'em to watch the right, the Flood may have overrun the ODSTs' position."

For my part, that was the last order I had time to give. The Flood I'd seen downrange a moment ago were now coming up to our position quick. The ODST sergeant manning the MG in front of me finally began to spray the incoming creatures with heavy fire, obliterating the forward-most line of Infection forms. But so many others still managed to get through.

And unfortunately for us, they weren't the only creatures to look out for.

Just as my aide brought his own assault rifle to bear to take care of any forms rushing past the gunfire, we suddenly heard the sound of something else approaching - a Covenant Ghost. At first I wondered if a Flood form - or possibly one of my Marines - had seized it, but it quickly became apparent that the purple vehicle was on neither side. The Brute riding in the operator's seat burst through the Flood/human lines on turbo speed, indiscriminately mowing down whatever it could. I heard the splatter and pained moans of parasite and people alike, and then the Brute flipped the agile Ghost around and started in for a strafing run.

That was when all hell quite literally broke loose.

The remaining Covenant forces - who'd been curiously absent from the battlefield for the past several hours - seemed to suddenly all come out in droves now. Within seconds the air all around us became saturated with plasma and needles and Brute shot rounds, as well as filled with the scents of stale Flood juice and blood. While the lone Ghost continued its assault on any ground troops it could find - human or Flood - the rest of the Brute's comrades jumped into the fray on foot. Before I could even get my bearings amid the chaos, trying hard to ignore the loud rattle of machine guns and hot plasma lances and explosions vibrating through my eardrums and through the very earth, I heard the last noise I ever wanted to hear at a time like this.

_Shoop!_

"Wraith!" I cried out over the cacophony of every single weapon type imaginable. "Porter, get on the COM _now_! Tell everyone in the company to get - !"

A huge boiling mortar round crashed into the debris-littered pavement, just enough yards away so that we weren't burned alive by the heat wave. Each of us ducked in an instant, the ODST sergeant coiling himself around the MG, Porter pressing his face into the blast crater beside him, and me tightly hugging the ground. As soon as the plasma round hit I felt everything beneath me quake, rattling my armor and my teeth and my very bones. The rush of heat from the ordnance came through next, and I bit my tongue to stay quiet as I felt my exposed arms get what felt like a ultra-fast sunburn. Despite the warm temperatures here in Kenya, I suddenly regretted not wearing my battledress jacket underneath my torso armor.

For a while afterward, it seemed like everything had gone quiet. I didn't dare open my eyes yet, still keeping my arms wrapped around my head to protect it, but I could feel that the air was now thick with more debris. When I tried to take in a breath I choked on it, finding not the oxygen I needed, but the eye-watering stench of pulverized concrete, burnt flesh, and cooked blood. I coughed until my lungs burned and my nostrils felt seared from attempting to inhale the hot air. Finally I spat on the dirt and rolled over onto my back, opening my eyes for the first time.

I watched in horror then as the Brute I'd seen earlier emerged from the burning wreckage of its Ghost, clearly injured and bleeding but not out of the fighting quite yet. It was quicker than me to recover and I still couldn't hear a thing, so I hadn't heard the explosion of the Ghost nearby.

The big Covenant beast hefted its Brute spiker in what felt like slow motion to me, and I struggled to reach for my pistol with my good arm. In the meantime, everything in my brain screamed at me: _You're not fast enough! You will _die_ if you don't move _right now!

Panic hit me as the Brute seemed to be getting closer and closer, while I continued to fight to get to my weapon through invisible molasses. I needed that gun, I fucking _needed_ it, but it was too much effort when I was dazed and confused and couldn't see through the smoky haze of the blast.

_Will, Gabe, I _-

Suddenly the world seemed to return to normal again. My body had recovered. Things were no longer going at a snail's pace version of reality but actual reality, and I completed my move. I gripped my borrowed pistol through the cloud of debris, heard all the sounds of gunfire and battle going on around me again, saw things as clear as day. And I brought that pistol up with my good arm and fired.

The first several rounds did absolutely nothing; it was like going up against a tank. The Brute's thick hide took each hit in stride, even as its violet blood continued to pour from its wounds. It was heaving, that much was sure, and its delayed reactions to the bullets spoke to its own state of mental sluggishness. But it was still a Brute, tens of times stronger and bigger than I was, and it was still going to take more than a few rounds to take out.

I kept pulling the trigger until I'd emptied the clip, and then I was in real trouble. I had absolutely nothing left to fire with.

Closing the distance, the wounded Brute dropped its own weapon in the street and rushed me.

There was only one last trick up my sleeve that I could use, and that was my combat knife. I was severely handicapped in this fight because of my stiff right arm, but I pulled at the handle of the blade above my left boot and brought it up just as the beast pounded its fist into the ground beside my head. I knew it wanted to crush me, to bash my head into the asphalt, but it was badly hurt too - and slow. I gripped my knife in a tight fist and drove it hard into one of the wounds in its arm, then twisted.

The Brute roared and pulled away abruptly, allowing me to pull my blade free in the same motion. Using my very last reserves of energy - and sweating hard through exertion and pain - I struck again onto its chest, forcing more purple blood from its punctured hide. It tried to swing at me with its fist but it was too sluggish and missed. I saw my final opening then and took it.

I pulled my knife free of its chest and slashed at the Brute's throat.

That finally brought it down.

I heard the beast gurgle for a prolonged minute, and quickly rolled out of the way so its weight wouldn't crush me when it fell. The Brute hit the ground a moment later, blood coming from each of its neck and mouth and blast wounds. It was dead.

I lay there on my back for several seconds in stunned silence, my lungs heaving and muscles burning from the motions that had been powered by sheer adrenaline and nothing else. I was spent now utterly, tired, starving, and in pain. I no longer had a useful gun and I tossed the empty pistol aside, keeping my bloody combat knife in my hand now instead. In front of me I could still hear the MG rattling loud, along with Porter's assault rifle, so I figured at least some of us were still alive - and we were still engaged in the fight.

Gathering up a bit of energy I slowly moved forward to the machine gun position. The air was a little more clear now so I could finally see and breathe well, but when I turned my head for a moment I found that wasn't always a good thing.

We'd gotten lucky. The next machine gun down the line, a couple hundred meters away, was nothing but a black crater full of torn human bodies and melted metal. That was where the Wraith tank blast had impacted.

_Holy shit._

Although there were still plenty of Flood creatures and Covies still left to take on, I dropped my knife on the ground and pulled out my canteen instead, drinking until the very last drop. I wasn't really worried about running out of water now, because either Willis and his squadron would rescue us in time or we'd die here within the hour anyway. Either way, I needed all that I took.

"Captain!" my aide cried when he saw me approach, my combat knife back in my hand. His face was blackened from the blast, probably like mine, and his eyes got big. "What happened to you, ma'am? Are you all right?"

I momentarily brought the crook of my elbow to my face and coughed long and hard into it, still trying to clear my lungs of the dirty air from before. Then, I slowly nodded. "Yeah, Josh. I'm still here."

He swallowed. "Well, damn, Captain, you look...you look just this side of dead, ma'am. You've got Brute blood all over you, your arms are red, and your face is - "

"I get it, Corporal. I'm the walking dead. What the hell else is new? Just tell me how the platoons are doing and let them know that our right flank is rapidly becoming nonexistent. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"Good. Then get to it. We've got no time right now to focus on aesthetics." I moved to look ahead of him, trying to see what was going on with the rest of the battle. "Oh, and Porter, I still need to know what happened to the Helljumpers."

"Yes, ma'am, I'm on it."

That made the sergeant manning the MG pause between bursts of fire. "Helljumpers? Captain? What's going on with my platoon?"

Despite how standoffish he seemed to be in front of regular Marines, I still felt bad when I turned to face him. "I'm sorry to tell you this, Trooper, but it looks like the rest of your platoon may have been overrun by the Flood."

The ODST gave me a blank shocked look before pounding his fist into the gun. "Aw, no!"

"I know it's hard to take, Sergeant, but I need you to keep firing. Right now we need to do all we can to ensure everyone else makes it out alive, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered in a toneless voice. He seemed too affected at the moment to even give me crap about my orders. He soon turned back to the gun and placed all his focus on tearing through our fighting enemies, Covenant and Flood alike.

Thankfully at the moment, they seemed more concentrated on each other than on us. The Wraith tank was still on the prowl, but so far had been hitting into the masses of Flood hard, probably because our human forces were so weak and spread out and battered by now that they didn't even see us as much of a threat. I was grateful though, because Bravo Company had absolutely nothing left to counter enemy armor anyway.

I took the quick halt in the action to check my datapad for the umpteenth time.

**- 00:43:57 -**

Forty-three more minutes until Kilo Squadron's approximate arrival. I slipped the datapad back in my pocket before I could reflect on how utterly unhelpful that was. By the time my husband and his pilots got here, we were going to be nothing but extra corpses in the street.

I swallowed hard on the sudden lump in my throat, knowing how terrible it was going to be for Willis when he realized he'd reached us too late, but I pressed on. While the Covenant and the Flood took on each other, we weren't just going to sit and watch. We were going to use that to our advantage.

"Porter!" I shouted to my aide above the chaotic din surrounding us. "I need that sitrep, Corporal, now!"

"Got it, Captain! First and second platoons report heavy fighting in their sector, ma'am. Most of it is between the enemy bastards, though. A few handfuls are still detaching from their main units and attacking our Marines on our lines, but so far they've been able to keep them at bay. Third platoon says they're nearly out of ammo for their guns and so they're staying out of the melee, letting the aliens and freak creatures duke it out. And the Helljumpers..." He shook his head. "The Helljumpers are gone, ma'am."

"All right." I released a long sigh, quickly gathering my thoughts. "We need to keep the lines thin because of the Wraith and the Flood, but that's no longer an option for third platoon. Tell them to quickly and carefully disengage, so that they don't attract attention to themselves, and have them get to first platoon's position. First is undermanned anyway, and they could both use some bolstering on their side of the perimeter."

The corporal nodded. "Issuing orders now, Captain. What about for us?"

"For now we stay put, Corporal. Sergeant?"

The Helljumper didn't look back as he continued firing the machine gun. "Captain?"

"How are we on MG ammo?"

"Running low fast, ma'am!"

"Slow your rate of fire then, Trooper. We need to conserve those bullets for when they really count."

"Understood, Cap - "

Suddenly I became aware of a loud sound, coming from up above. At first I didn't recognize it; I couldn't even remember the last time I'd heard one of those. But when I glanced up at the sky and saw it hurtling in just forward of my company's main line - where the majority of the Covenant and Flood, including the Wraith tank, were positioned - I felt a simultaneous burst of relief and fear.

Relief because if the bombing run went well, Bravo Company and I were saved. Fear because if it failed to take into account that UNSC ground forces were also in the area, we were all good as dead.

Thankfully, I was able to get Porter to hail the ship in time. After all we'd endured today and for the past several weeks here in Africa, things finally started to go our way.

The big Longsword Interceptor craft closed in and fired its missiles right on target, carefully painting our enemies while excluding us from the explosions. When it got close enough, it momentarily opened up with its 110mm rotary cannons as well, ripping apart both the Covenant and Flood lines in seconds - and turning the deadly Wraith tank into a column of swirling black smoke.

I didn't even have enough energy left to cheer, although many of my Marines down the line did. I was simply too exhausted, too mentally and physically fatigued, to do so. Instead I plopped myself down on the ground and watched, combat knife still in hand, as our salvation came roaring through and back out again in the blink of an eye.

After that, with both our enemies decimated by the unexpected aerial attack run, even what was left of my battered and bloodied Bravo Company rallied to mop up the Covies and Flood that remained. In the next half-hour we continued to fight, expending all of our last resources and all our last reserves of energy, knowing this was made possible because of that one flight crew who'd come in at the final seconds of the eleventh hour to save our tired and beaten asses.

I never found out who'd issued the order to conduct the bombing run, and I never found out who the pilots and crew were. But it didn't matter.

Bravo Company and I were alive because of them, and I sincerely thanked whoever our allies in the skies had been today.

* * *

Willis and his Kilo Squadron showed up shortly thereafter - a whole fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. I wasn't able to speak to him directly, since I still had no helmet, but Corporal Porter was quick to inform me of the arrival of our ride out.

Looking almost as haggard as I felt, Porter turned to me and licked his lips before he spoke. He did so calmly, deliberately, and without any emotion. He was too spent. "Ma'am, I've just received a hail from Captain Hawk. Kilo Squadron is on its way."

"ETA?"

"Less than two minutes, Captain."

After taking a quick look around at the black craters and bodies and gore and Flood juice that littered every inch of the streets around us, I cautiously stood. I glanced down at the combat knife in my hand, still colored purple from the Brute's blood, and wiped the blade of it on the leg of my filthy battledress pants. God, I couldn't wait to take a shower. "Let the platoon leaders know then, Porter. Tell them to tighten up the perimeter, keep the LZ clear, and prepare for departure. We're getting out of here."

* * *

True to their word, Kilo's pilots touched down right on time at the designated space we'd kept clear for them. After making sure my Marines and platoon leaders gathered up all the ammo and equipment we had left - which was not very much at all - I had them start to load everything up in the cargo bay of the Pelicans. It was going to be an uncomfortable ride back to base, but it was going to be the most satisfying one in the world.

We were done, finally. Truly over and done with the Human-Covenant War.

Well, at least our part of the war was.

Seeing as we weren't under fire at the moment, I was able to have Lieutenants Hillburn, Lloyd, and Frederick check each Marine who was boarding against their platoon rosters on their datapads. Then, once that was complete, I looked over the completed rosters to double-check the count on the whole company. Judging by my platoon leaders' reports, their head counts, and the rosters, everyone was present and accounted for. I had all of my Marines quickly board up in the Pelicans, then waited for each craft to lift off before I moved on to my own - the very last one.

Of course it was just my luck that this wasn't the one piloted by Willis, who I was aching to see. Instead, it was his best friend's.

"Jesus, Cooper," First Lieutenant Brandon Heat said when he saw me, giving me a slight grin. "You look like shit."

"Thanks, Brandon," I replied dryly. "Just what every girl loves to hear." I folded my arms across my chest as I regarded him, my lips slowly curling into a small smirk. "You know, whenever you flyboys want to come out of your plush suites and actually do some _real_ work for a change, you be sure to let me know."

"Does that mean you don't need a ride back to base, or...?"

"All right, all right. Load up, Lieutenant. Let's get the hell out of here."

Heat smirked back. "Yes, ma'am."

As I pulled myself - weaponless and aching and thoroughly exhausted - into the last seat in the cargo bay, I almost didn't take notice of the faces inside. I'd tallied off all my Marines, made sure each and every last one of them were on one of the crafts, but these faces I didn't recognize. They looked like they were from a different unit.

Curious, I moved through the cramped space to the front near the cockpit, where the intercom was. I needed to ask Heat what was going on.

But someone was already sitting in that spot.

"Hayden!" I cried.

I hugged my best friend hard even as a wide grin spread across my face. I tried hard to keep a clamp on my emotions, seeing as the troop bay was full of Marines - who I now realized were from his company. I succeeded, but barely.

An equally defeated-looking Captain Oliver Hayden grinned back at me as we pulled apart. "Careful, Cooper," he said with a wink. "I thought you wanted us to keep our relationship a secret."

I rolled my eyes at him and gave him a chastising look for that. "I'm excited to be going home to my husband, thank you very much. And that you're not dead." I took the seat next to him as the Marines beside us made room. "So do you want to explain to me how the hell it is you're alive? Because I got told New Mombasa was leveled by a Slipspace rupture. With you in it."

That seemed to take whatever was left of Hayden's humor out of him. The air left his lungs in a heavy sigh, and he turned away before answering. I felt the Pelican finally lift off in the meantime.

"This is what's left of my entire company, Cooper. All of us fit inside one Pelican now," he replied. When he saw my look of shock, he added, "I was with one of my platoons on the outskirts of the city. The other two were still inside. It's by pure fucking chance that I'm here and they're not." He paused then to compose himself and ran a hand through his brown hair. "We were far enough away that we weren't obliterated with the rest. I sent out a distress call shortly after, and luckily we were picked up. That's it, Natalie. That's my story."

"Christ, Hayden."

"Yeah. How did things go on your end?"

In the midst of all the fighting I hadn't had a chance to think about it. But now that I was sitting here with Hayden, I realized that there was something I had to tell him, too.

"Not good, Oliver," I said quietly. "Truth is we barely survived. And - " I had to stop and swallow on the lump in my throat, refocus. "And Lewis is dead, Hayden. Dean's fucking gone."

I took Captain Hayden's sudden silence as acknowledgment enough.

Thirty minutes into the flight, we were informed via intercom that the Elites' ships had formed up above Voi.

As soon as the other UNSC air forces got the last remaining Marines out of the city, the long-awaited glassing would begin.


	58. Epilogue 1

**Epilogue: Part One  
**

After leaving Kenya, Willis's squadron was ordered by Major Collins to touch down in the ODSTs' initial staging area in Ethiopia before continuing on back to Denmark. For the first time in days, we all got a chance to eat, sleep, shower, and rest. Those first few hours of freedom from the war felt too surreal for words just yet, so I focused entirely on getting my immediate needs met. I took a quick but warm shower in one of the makeshift stalls that had been set up, then toweled off and dressed in a fresh set of fatigues, socks, boots, and underclothes. Next, despite my intense exhaustion, I was able to meet back up with Willis so we could both down our first hot meal in a while together in the mess hall tent. We were both so hungry and so tired we barely said a word to each other, but occasionally we'd exchange inexplicable grins from across the table. Then came sleep.

Willis and I had been granted permission to share a space during our temporary interlude in camp, but it was cramped, afforded little privacy, and wasn't really all that comfortable. But to us, none of that mattered. We both got the best sleep of our lives that night - not only because we were so fatigued, but because we knew now that the weight of the world was finally off our shoulders. For literally the first time in our lives, we had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Most everyone slept well into the next day, many only awaking once it close to nighttime again. Me and Willis weren't part of the exception. We went through the rituals of the previous day then, getting in a quick shower and donning our uniforms before going through the mess lines for hot chow. Then, once us troops had been fed, all hell broke loose.

But in a good way this time.

No one ever admitted to being the one to introduce alcohol into the equation, and judging by the amounts that were being downed and the vast number of soldiers at the camp, it had to have been a coordinated effort that involved several higher ups in the chain of command. Whoever it was, they'd provided the fuel for one rockin' party.

Everyone went wild that night, our first night of true celebration at the war's end. Many of the younger Marines drank until they blacked out early on, missing out on a variety of games and dancing and a brief fireworks display that all went on well into the night. I didn't ever remember drinking that much in my whole entire life - and my husband was no different. The last thing I'd remembered was us trying to one-up each other doing shots with several other young officers while our subordinates - those who were still standing by then - cheered on their respective COs. Since we all ended up passing out shortly after that, I guessed there was never really a clear winner.

I knew things had gotten beyond crazy when most of us awoke on the floor of the makeshift bar tent the next morning. Though we were both hungover as all hell - and certainly far from the only ones - Willis and I fought through raging headaches to get up and drag ourselves back to our cubicle-like abode. We both had to stop a few times to retch along the way, then to down some water at one of the nearby fountains. Eventually, though, we staggered back to our area and spent much of the rest of the day sleeping it off.

After that it was it. The powers that be had allowed for one epic night for everyone to party like animals, but the next day regulations came crashing down on us again. Officers were expected to gather up and be responsible for their men and women, and anyone caught goofing off then was reprimanded and brought quickly back into line. We'd had our big night of stress relief and fun, and now it was back to being serious, professional Marines.

It was a day after that that we finally received word that we were to gather up our remaining troops to head back to Denmark. By then I missed Gabriel terribly. I couldn't wait to see my little boy and hold him in my arms again.

I didn't know it then, but for the most part, the fun and games part of the post-war period was over.

* * *

**0647 Hours, March 23, 2553. ****UNSC Roosevelt Air Base, Skagen, Denmark.**** "The Remembrance of the Fallen," Planet Earth. ****Twenty Days After the Human-Covenant War's End**

The nightmares were what affected me the most once we made it back. They would always be intense, always cause me to wake up shivering and crying. Sometimes they'd just be memories of what had happened in Africa – Dean's gory death, facing the Flood, watching the Marine who'd been helping Private Webster man the machine gun on that last day get killed in front of me. Other times they'd be worse; memories with some bizarre subconscious twist, making the terrible real life events even more horrific. Thankfully those occurred less often. But when they did, I'd sometimes wake up Gabe, too.

I think I hated the crying the most. It was a sad, pathetic whimpering that I never seemed to have any control over – usually I was already doing it before I even woke up. The shivering I could deal with; Willis would pull me against him and I'd feel better within moments. But I'd continue sniveling into his chest for what seemed like a long time after that, and that I couldn't stand. Couldn't stand it, but couldn't help it, either.

This morning, the morning of the funerals, was no exception. I'd relived my best friend's dying moments again in my head as I slept, and like clockwork, the second I awoke I was shivering and quietly sobbing.

Willis woke up as he always did and let out a sigh, keeping his eyes closed for a moment longer as he drew my body close to his. "Natalie, it's ok. It's over, honey," he said as he held me. "We're home. There's nothing to worry about here."

I continued to shake a little in his grasp as I buried my face in his T-shirt, trying to muffle the pitiful noises I was making so I wouldn't wake up our son. I didn't want Gabriel to see me like this – Willis seeing me in this state was already bad enough.

When my husband noticed I still wasn't quite yet calm, he started to run his hands up and down my arms and leaned over to kiss the side of my head.

"I'm s-sorry," I said into his chest. "I don't know w-why I can't – "

Willis stopped rubbing my arms then and glanced down at me. "Cooper, look at me for a sec."

I was able to bring myself under enough control by now that I was only sniffling. Slowly – and reluctantly – I raised my head up and met his gaze. He gave me a weak smile as he slid a hand against my cheek.

"Natalie, I love you. You don't need to be sorry for reacting to the things you saw. It makes you human."

I took a deep breath and looked away, as much as that was possible when we were lying this close to one another. I tried not to let my feelings of frustration and embarrassment get the better of me. "But you…you saw things, too, Will. And you don't wake up whining and quivering every night from a stupid bad dream. You just…deal with it, like I should be doing."

"I didn't watch my best friend die, Cooper. I wasn't even on the ground for very long with the Flood. We all get affected differently, Natalie. And hell, all of this is still fresh anyway. We just got back three weeks ago. You gotta give it some time, Coop."

Releasing a sigh, I nodded after a moment, then wrapped my arms tighter around him. I buried my face in his neck this time and closed my eyes, comforted by his presence and his scent and his touch. As I felt my husband rest his chin on the top of my head, keeping our bodies close, I knew then that out of all that had been taken from me in the last few months, I could at least be glad that I still had Will and Gabe.

And the war was finally over, too. There was a lot to be thankful for.

"I love you, too, Willis," I whispered.

* * *

After enjoying the very rare luxury of being allowed to spend some time cuddled up in bed, Willis and I eventually got up to start getting ready for the funeral. Memorial services were being held today for all the Marines who'd been a part of the Africa op and hadn't made it home. I wasn't sure I could handle something like this quite yet, but like everyone else in the 102nd Battalion, I'd been ordered by regimental command to attend. That wasn't the kind of authority you said no to.

As I made my way across the room then to wake up Gabriel, who was still fast asleep on his cot, I was startled out of my thoughts when Willis cleared his throat. I quickly turned back.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just wondering if you were planning on wearing my shirt to the funeral."

I glanced down at myself and frowned. All I had on was one of my husband's T-shirts and underwear. "Of course not. I'm going to change."

He grinned a little. "Good, 'cause it looked like you were about to step out in that."

"No, just getting Gabe up. Grab our uniforms in the meantime, would you?"

"Sure."

Once we'd both showered and dressed in our Class As, taking extra care to make sure that everything about our appearance was squared away, we went to drop off our son with the base's recently hired civilian daycare staff. We'd all had a lot of downtime lately because of the war's end, but there were daily duties that still needed to be done and couldn't be properly conducted with small children around. This end-of-the-war ceremony also qualified.

As soon as we left, Willis and I headed outside to the parade ground, where thousands of Marines were already gathering for the event. For once, we weren't ordered to form up by unit; instead there was simply a mass throng of people in uniform. My husband and I went to stand near the front where all the officers were and waited for another forty minutes before the ceremony began.

"Marines, atten-_hut_!"

The ODST colonel who'd shouted the command stood ramrod straight as she watched the rest of us move to rigid attention. Once in position I couldn't turn my head to see why, but soon a lieutenant general strode onto the stage. Positioning himself behind the podium, he looked out at us for a moment and then nodded over to the colonel again.

"Pah-rade _rest_!" she yelled out this time. We all moved as one again, widening our stances and placing our hands behind our backs, parallel to the deck.

"Thank you, Colonel Drayse." The lieutenant general returned his attention to us now, tapping the microphone before he began. "Marines, over the last few months, you've seen some of the toughest fighting yet. And to be honest, for a long time, our fate as a species was shit-far from certain. Even when the Elites decided to join us in the fight against the Covenant, there were no guarantees we'd make it out of this intact. The Covenant was a formidable enemy, a devastating enemy, and it was unclear whether or not we'd be able to hold our own against them, even with this newfound alliance. But we did it, Marines. You held those alien bastards back." He paused, his voice going lower now. "And when those damn creepy-crawlies jumped into the mix as well, you took care of those sons o' bitches, too. For everything that you've accomplished in recent weeks, you should all be mighty proud. The human race is alive and free because of you."

"Oorah!" we cried back loudly.

"But today, we're gathered here to remember those who didn't make it back with us," the general continued. "We're the lucky ones, Marines. We're the ones who get to enjoy this monumental victory, this long-awaited end to a twenty-eight-year war. A lot of you here today are second-generation fighters, the children of those who tried their damnedest to repel the first Covenant contact, and that speaks to the great length of this conflict. It's been a long, costly, arduous, and devastating war, Marines, for all of us. Every single person in the UNSC, whether military or civilian, in the former Outer Colonies or in the Inner, has been affected by it in a very profound way. It will take time for us to restore and rebuild just _some_ of what was lost to us, and we'll of course be starting with here on Earth. We'll probably never get back all we had, at least not in our generation. Maybe not even the next. But we're here _now_ to ensure that the story of the lives of those who are no longer with us gets preserved, and that we - as the few survivors of humanity's near annihilation - make sure their sacrifices weren't in vain."

As the lieutenant general went silent, the ODST colonel stepped up once more. "We will now be reading aloud the names of the dead from the fighting in Africa. Marines, at ease!"

Just like before we moved as a single entity, relaxing our postures a little now. I knew just from my company's experience alone that the list of KIA was going to be a long one, so we all stood and prepared to listen for the next few hours.

Colonel Drayse began calling out the names in order: first by whether they were troopers, regular Marines, or pilots, then by unit within these three categories. The Helljumpers, of course, were rattled off first, followed by pilots, and finally, us grunts.

We were well over two hours in by the time they got to the 102nd Battalion of the 603rd Infantry Regiment. Since Alpha and Delta Companies had stayed behind in Ecuador to retake Portoviejo with Major Phillips, the names of the deceased from Bravo Company were the first from our battalion to be read.

"From first platoon of B Company, Private Jack Ryker. Private Gina Callahan. Corporal Aaron Ming. Private First Class - "

The list went on for another minute; first platoon had been the one with the most casualties during Bravo's time in Africa, due in large part to the devastating Banshee attack that had left twelve dead in a single strafing run. I'd seen Willis suddenly stiffen earlier as names from his Kilo Squadron had been called out, but up until Colonel Drayse had gotten to the members of Bravo Company I'd managed to keep my own emotions in check. Now, as she went through a list of names I was wholly familiar with - the men and women who'd been under my command and whose lives had been my responsibility - it was a lot harder for me to maintain my composure. I swallowed hard on the lump in my throat and tried like hell not to tear up.

For the most part I was successful...until Drayse got to third platoon.

"From third platoon of B Company, First Lieutenant Dean Lewis - "

Even as she said the name, I felt a sudden wave of emotion hit me and I reached reflexively for my husband's hand, threading my fingers through his own and squeezing tight to keep myself from bawling outright. If anyone beside us noticed, they didn't say a word.

The naming of the dead continued for over an hour after that. Finally, as the ceremony began to draw to a close, the lieutenant general returned to the front of the podium.

"That's everyone, Marines. Remember them all in your hearts and minds as you spend time with your families over the next three weeks. Minus critical operations, you are now officially off-duty for that time. Enjoy it."

Although we were all tired from having stood for so long, everyone present broke their bearing then and cheered. We'd certainly all lost a lot lately, but having some free time set aside for all those who'd fought was a step in the right direction to getting us recharged again.

"Note, however, that I said _off-duty_, not on leave. You are not permitted to leave base without permission, although you are free to use the time as you wish. However, once you return to your responsibilities, you will notice some changes. These come straight from the top brass at HighCom, so listen up." The lieutenant general waited for the commotion to die down before he spoke. "Our new objective now, Marines, will be to rebuild what was destroyed here on Earth, as I said before. It'll be a huge project that will take some time to plan, and it will also take some time to implement. Certainly, it will take years of coordinated effort to finish. Your regimental commanders will be given additional information later, but for now, be prepared to switch gears. We are no longer going to be a primarily fighting force - we're now going to be working to reconstruct our cities, our infrastructure, and our livelihoods, Marines. So be ready to take on that challenge."

Shortly thereafter we were dismissed. Willis and I separated for the time being, going off to meet up with our respective units for the battalion-level briefings before we could return to our son. I lingered a little longer on the parade ground, gathering up Bravo Company and having a few words on the side with Doc Reynolds, Corporal Porter, and each of my platoon leaders in turn. At the briefing, I was also able to talk with Captain Hayden for a minute before our CO, Major Benjamin Phillips, and the rest of the 102nd Battalion finally filed in. They'd arrived on base a few weeks earlier following their own successful op in Portoviejo.

And, with that, our whole battalion was finally reunited.

* * *

Following the funeral I felt tired and emotionally drained. I definitely didn't feel like going to my daily physical therapy session, but Willis prodded me until I agreed. I did want to get better as soon as possible, so I knew I should probably go. In the three weeks since we'd returned from Africa, I'd already seen a significant change in how much maneuverability I had with my wounded arm. It was gradually getting stronger and regaining a little feeling and range of motion. It was still early in the healing process so a lot of the time it still felt painful and stiff, but I was encouraged by the small improvements being made.

When I walked into the training facility, dressed now in PTs with my last name and captain's bars stenciled on the front of my shirt, I greeted my physical therapist and got set for the initial assessment he did each afternoon. After several minutes of carefully looking over my right arm and shoulder, he started in on the circular motion exercises - which not only flexed my injured arm and shoulder, but also tended to hurt a lot. I grit my teeth and winced through it till he set my arm back down.

"All right, Captain," Staff Sergeant Sydney Ross said in his Aussie accent. "Pick up one o' them dumbbells there - a slightly heavier one than last week's - and start your reps, ma'am. I'll come by and check on you in twenty."

"Jesus, Staff," I complained. "You _had_ to come up with an advanced method of torture?"

"'Fraid so, ma'am. Don't want your arm muscles to atrophy now, do ya? You want them to grow stronger, not stay the same."

I gave him a look. "I'm not looking to develop arm muscles larger than my husband's, you know. I just want my arm to work again."

"Not to worry, Captain. We'll get you squared away. All I ask is that you trust my instructions, ma'am. Yeah?"

I nodded. "Yeah, ok."

He smiled. "Good. Happy lifting, ma'am."

_Happy lifting my ass_, I thought as I stooped to grab one of the five-pound weights. _You didn't get your arm butchered by shrapnel from a tank. Or get your shoulder pierced and dislocated by the blast, either. _

I wasn't mad at Staff Sergeant Ross, not really. After all he'd been the one to get my right side in as manageable shape as it was now. But sometimes, his methods of recovery did get a little annoying.

Frowning as I worked on the reps, I started to struggle after a while and slowed my pace. By the fifth set of reps I was sweating a little as I pushed through the pain and rigidity of my limb. I was about to take a short break when I saw Major Benjamin Phillips enter.

My battalion commander was still dressed in his funeral attire - a crisp set of Class As, adorned with numerous ribbons and medals of every color. He paused at the entrance of the training facility, then ran a hand over his short, dark brown hair before spotting me.

I set the dumbbells down as soon as he started approaching and quickly stood at attention. "Sir!"

"As you were, Captain," Phillips ordered. "How's the arm?"

"Still in rough shape to be honest, sir, but getting there." I sat back down on the bench I'd been sitting on and waited for the major to continue.

"That was a hell of a stand Bravo Company made in Voi, Cooper," Major Phillips said. "I heard how intense things got there at the end, and I have no doubt I'll be reading more of the same in your after-action report."

"Yes, sir. I just finished putting together the last packet of documents yesterday, Major. I had both electronic files and hard copies sent to your office, sir."

He nodded. "Very good, Captain. But, as you've probably figured out, papers aren't the only reason I'm here."

"Sir?"

Major Phillips hesitated a moment, then reached into his jacket pocket and produced a small box. He opened it up before holding it out to me. "Wounds like yours deserve special commendation, Captain. Congratulations on another Purple Heart."

As I took the box with the ribbon and medal inside with my left hand, I felt more than a little stunned. The wounds I'd sustained on the Tsavo Highway were significant, but I'd never expected recognition for them. I looked up at Phillips and shook his hand in disbelief. "T-thank you, sir. This really means a lot."

Phillips nodded but didn't say anything more for a minute. His gaze grew a little distant when he spoke again. "The war's finally over, Cooper. Can you believe it?"

"Honestly, no, sir. It still hasn't sunk in yet. I keep...I keep feeling like I need to remain alert for something - an attack, or new orders..."

He smiled faintly. "Well, you will be receiving new orders soon, Captain. No doubt about that. But I was thinking more existentially. A lot of kids in this generation - including you, Natalie - have never lived in a world free from the looming threat of the Human-Covenant War. You've all been dealing with it in some way since birth. It's all you've ever known. And so I wonder - " His smile gave way to a frown. "I wonder how you and my other Marines are going to adjust. Life after war can be very daunting for a soldier."

I swallowed as I took in his words. "Yes, sir. I've been...I've been a little nervous about that lately, Major. About adjusting, I mean." I took a deep breath. "But I also know now that we're truly done. I don't have to worry about my son growing up in the same messed up universe I did. I don't have to worry that while I'm gone he'll be killed, or my husband will get killed, or I'll be killed, or that the long separation will change things. I can finally be with my family now, sir, and I can always be sure they're safe."

The major reached down and squeezed my good shoulder. "The ultimate good and the ultimate bad, Cooper. A Marine without a fight."

"Oorah, sir."

Phillips thought a moment. "It's just too bad we lost so many to get here. I know your XO's death in particular has had a rough impact on the company."

I felt the faintest prickle of tears start to form behind my eyes, and my throat suddenly felt itchy. "Yes, sir. Lieutenant Lewis will be missed a lot, sir. And he'll never be forgotten."

"As it should be, Captain."

Another moment passed, this time in silence. I was thinking about Dean, and I wondered if the major was doing the same.

I missed my best friend every single fucking day. I had nightmares about his death even more frequently than I admitted to Willis.

No, First Lieutenant Dean Lewis would never be forgotten. Of that I was sure.

**

* * *

Four Months Later**

**

* * *

**"Good morning, ma'am."

"Morning, Syd," I replied warily. "Not sure if it's going to be a good one yet, though."

He chuckled. "That's a little unfair, Captain, don't you think? I haven't summoned you to the torture chamber in a month. You've been doing the exercises I made up for you?"

"Yeah. I've been keeping up PT with my company as much as I can, and I've been putting in extra time with the weights in between doing all the paperwork. The arm's actually feeling much better now, Staff. I can almost move it normally without a lot of pain."

"See, ma'am? I knew we'd get you there. And the shoulder?"

"Same, Staff. Thanks."

The noncom raised an eyebrow at me. "So why the apprehension, ma'am?"

I shrugged - something I previously hadn't been able to do for months because of my wounds. "I'm not sure. I just feel kind of nervous about the check-up I guess. Hope everything's still functioning the way it should."

"If you've been feeling as healthy as you say you have, I don't see why there would be any problems, Captain. So let's get that arm and shoulder checked out, and I'll get the orderlies to run a few tests in the lab as well. You'll be good as new soon, ma'am, just you wait."

I nodded in reply, but didn't mention the fact that I'd been feeling more tired than usual lately. The days on base here in Denmark were long, filled with training and managing Bravo Company's papers and logistics following the big battles in Africa. Add on top of that the extra responsibilities of caring for my son when I got home in the evening and squeezing in time to bring my wounded side back up to par, and it was no wonder I kept passing out early on the bunk each night. Willis had joked yesterday that I was starting to become narcoleptic, which had earned my husband a very deep scowl from me.

Staff Sergeant Ross spent the next few minutes assessing and testing out my bad side, going through the same circular motions with my arm as he used to when I'd been visiting the facility daily. Where before the exercises had been uncomfortable and painful, now I barely felt a thing.

"All looks great, Captain," he assured me with a smile as he jotted down notes on his datapad. "We'll run those tests now and then send you on your way."

"Good. You have no idea how many company documents are still piled on my desk. I have to try to finish them all this afternoon with some help from my XO."

Ross's smile turned into a full-fledged grin. "And that's why I enlisted instead of commissioning, ma'am. I'll be back in thirty minutes."

As soon as Ross left, a doctor and an orderly entered to take me to the lab, and a half-hour later I was done. The doctor and orderly stepped outside to consult for a moment with Staff Sergeant Ross, and then the physical therapist walked in.

"Got everything back, Captain. Your arm and shoulder still have a bit of a ways to go, but you are well ahead of schedule as far as healing goes. I don't anticipate any problems, so just continue your exercises and you should be fine in another few weeks."

A smile began to creep across my face as I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great news, Staff. Thanks."

The staff sergeant smiled back. "You're welcome, ma'am. Although, there is something else I think you should know."

I quirked an eyebrow at him, and he smiled wider.

"You're pregnant."

"Uh, what?"

"Just confirmed by Doctor Keimer. Apparently he noticed the indicators as part of your blood test. Congratulations, ma'am."

* * *

When I walked out of the lab after getting an ultrasound done, it was on unsteady legs. As I put on my sunglasses against the morning sun's bright rays, I almost didn't even notice that Willis was waiting for me on the far side of the courtyard.

"Hey, Coop," he said as I approached. "How'd it go in there today? Everything check out?"

I nodded, suddenly feeling a little light-headed. "Uh, yeah, Will. Everything went just fine. Where's Gabe?"

Willis pointed to where our son was running around across the way, occasionally ducking to hide between the plants. "Over there, trying to escape from his parents. You ready to go?"

I snorted as I grinned wide. "What, you mean after the little jungle man?"

Willis grinned, too. "Yeah, I guess so. How hard do you think it is to capture a creature in the wild?"

"Only as hard as you can run."

"He's not going to come willingly. Should we corner him?"

"Yes," I said with a giggle. "But first, I'm going to corner _you_."

I grabbed hold of the front of Willis's T-shirt with both fists and pulled him in for a long, passionate kiss. When we finally broke apart, the look on my husband's face was priceless.

"Damn," he said with a wide smirk. "What was that for, Cooper?"

"Because I love you." I took in a deep breath. "And, because I've got some really big news."

I reached for his hand then and pressed it lightly against my stomach. Willis's golden brown eyebrows shot up for a moment behind his sunglasses.

"We're…we're having a baby again?" he asked.

I shook my head, still smirking. "Nope. We're having two."


	59. Epilogue 2

Author's Note: Holy cow! The second-part epilogue that wouldn't end! Sorry about the length of this thing, but it took me a while to wrap everything up to my liking. Plus, I figured for a tale that spanned three stories, a long finale was pretty much in order. ;)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and thanks a ton for reading. It's really meant a lot to me to have so many great readers and reviewers that've kept me going through the years as I wrote this. Please let me know what you thought of everything when you're done reading, and don't forget to continue on to the Closing Author's Note as well. Peace out!

* * *

**Epilogue: Part Two**

**1745 Hours, March 2, 2557. UNSC Concord Naval Air Base, Pensacola, Florida, United States. "The Life We Earned," Planet Earth. Four Years After the Human-Covenant War's End**

The late afternoon sun was really beating down when I decided it was time for a water break. Hiking back up the hill to our Battalion HQ tent, I was grateful that my CO had allowed us to discard our uniform jackets, weapons, helmets, and body armor altogether. A lot of it we no longer needed anyway; the Covenant and Flood were gone, and for the last few years at least, humanity had been too busy trying to rebuild what was lost to find anything worth fighting each other for. Overall it had been a calm, peaceful time, minus all the hard work we'd been doing as we attempted to make a home for ourselves again. In the meantime, the one thing that hadn't changed was my beloved Corps; I was still in and still very much enjoying my job and the dedicated people I worked with every day.

Pushing my sunglasses up higher on the bridge of my nose as I put one booted foot in front of the other, I made it up to HQ and tapped lightly on the makeshift tent door. "Sir?"

I was startled when my actual battalion commander opened it instead of his aide.

"Ah, Natalie." He folded his arms across his chest and cocked an eyebrow at me. "What do you need, Marine?"

"With your permission, I was going to give the men a break now, sir," I replied.

The lieutenant colonel nodded. "That's fine, Cooper. In fact, I'm feeling generous today, and I know tomorrow will be rough on all of us. Let the battalion know they're free to go home after this. And that includes you, too, Natalie."

I could hardly believe my good luck. I carefully wiped the sweat from my forehead with the short sleeve of my dark green T-shirt to cover up my sudden grin. "Yes, sir. Consider it done, Colonel."

"Good. You're dismissed, Marine."

Walking back down the hill in high spirits, I pulled my datapad out of the cargo pocket of my woodland battledress pants with one hand, and kept the other on the personal sidearm holstered on my web belt out of pure habit. That was one thing I'd never been able to shake since the Human-Covenant War – being prepared for anything at all times. Even now that humanity had been safe and at peace for five years, I still had those deeply ingrained combat reflexes that no amount of logical reasoning could take out of me.

After notifying the battalion's other officers of the break and change of plans, I went to speak to the company leaders individually, just to see how much progress had been made today so I could file my report to the battalion commander before I went home. I got to Alpha Company's commander first.

"Well, Captain?" I asked as I approached, grateful that my sunglasses were dampening much of the sun's intensity so I wouldn't have to squint to speak to my subordinates. "Did you get the message I sent?"

Captain Reese Kelson straightened at once and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Alpha Company did a lot of work today, as you can see, ma'am. We're close to catching up on those reconstruction quotas now. Should be done within the week."

"That's great to hear, Kelson. Tell your company to keep up the good work. I'll be gathering the battalion at the end of the week to let them know how much I appreciate all they've done so far. We've been getting through this a lot faster than I'd anticipated. Colonel Henders'll be very happy with our performance."

"Yes, ma'am." Captain Kelson smiled a little. "I'll be glad to get a compliment or two out of him. He sure doesn't hand 'em out too often."

I smiled back from behind my sunglasses. "Nope. But that's what makes his approval all the more worthwhile to get. Anyway, you've at least got mine so far, Marine. Keep up the good work."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

"All right. Enjoy your evening off, Captain. Dismissed."

Captain Kelson stood at attention then and gave me a crisp salute. She waited until I'd returned it to perform a sharp about-face and begin walking off in the direction of the main base. I couldn't wait to head that way myself, but unfortunately, I had three more company commanders to go relieve first.

When I reached Bravo Company's commander, the young captain jumped to attention immediately and saluted. "Major Cooper, ma'am!"

"At ease, Captain," I replied, returning the salute. "You know what I told you last week about salutes, Marine? I know a new company command can be nerve-wracking, but casual protocol's just fine until I have to dismiss you."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am. It's just…I know you used to command Bravo Company during the war, Major. I don't want to mess anything up."

I folded my arms across my chest, as my battalion commander had done in front of me a few minutes ago. "That's true, Captain, but that was in another battalion, back when I was infantry. If you'd taken over command of _that_ Bravo Company, I would've been on your ass day in and day out making sure you took good care of my Marines," I said with a smirk. "But here, I'll hold you to the same standard as everyone else. How did your men do today, Marine?"

"Well, I think, ma'am. We're a few days behind schedule so far, but I think after we get back from the holiday tomorrow the men'll have their heads cleared a little. It's…it's been hard to get some of them to focus lately, Major. With Remembrance Day coming up I think they've all kind of…closed themselves off a little, you know?"

"I understand, Captain." Sadly I understood the sentiment all too well. As early as last week some of the Marines in the battalion had had their work performances take a sudden dive, and I knew exactly why – remembering the end of the Human-Covenant War was rough on all of us who'd fought in it. Tomorrow's holiday – the five-year anniversary of the end of the war – was always a difficult day for all us veterans. But seeing as I was battalion XO, I couldn't afford to have my own feelings get in the way of my work, so I'd pushed through it these last few days. I hated to think how I'd react when I woke up tomorrow morning. Hopefully not with nightmares about Dean Lewis's death – another thing I'd never quite been able to shake following the end of the fighting.

"Major Cooper?"

I was forced out of my thoughts by the captain's voice. He looked at me expectantly, as if there were some magical words I could say to get rid of the feeling. I settled for waving a dismissive hand at him.

"I'm fine, Captain. And you're dismissed for today. Enjoy the time off."

He snapped to attention again and saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

I repeated the same rituals and quick chats with the other two company commanders in the battalion before returning to the HQ tent to write up my report. After that, I'd finally get to go home myself.

And seeing how hot the afternoon was today, I couldn't wait to get into an air-conditioned building – and take a nice, refreshing shower, too.

When I was let back into the command tent, Lieutenant Colonel Henders didn't even glance up from his desk.

"Well, Major? What's the situation with the rebuilding efforts in the suburbs? How are we on those quotas?"

"Should be very close to meeting them, sir. Only Charlie Company believes there'll be a bit of a delay. Otherwise everything should be ready by the weekend, Colonel."

"That's good news, Cooper. Keep extra tabs on Charlie Company then, Major. Make sure they're doing their work like everyone else and not slacking off."

"Yes, sir. I'll have Captain Ezra come in early after the holiday and speak to him personally, sir."

My battalion commander nodded. "You're a good executive officer, Natalie. I don't know how I managed this battalion before you transferred over and got promoted a few months ago. Must've been quite the switch for you, huh? That initial move to engineering, I mean."

"Yes, sir," I said, quickly stifling the emotions I felt at having to talk about leaving Bravo. After the war's end there simply hadn't been much of a need for so many infantry units anymore, and so the UNSC military's bigwigs had slowly pulled the 102nd Battalion apart - along with most of the 603rd Infantry Regiment that Bravo Company and I had been a part of. With my background in engineering and the UNSC's almost exclusive need to focus on the rebuilding efforts, I'd been transferred to the 8th Engineer Battalion three years ago once the dismantling of superfluous infantry units was complete. More recently, with my thirtieth birthday coming up soon, I'd been bumped up from company commander to battalion staff - with a promotion to major and a step up to second-in-command of the battalion, under Lieutenant Colonel Riley Henders. I liked my new job a lot and had been glad to get back into the work I'd originally studied to do, but I missed the men and women of Bravo Company a lot, too. I missed being infantry a lot. I hadn't seen any of them for a long while, since Willis and I had been given orders to relocate to Florida since my transfer to engineering three years ago. Luckily our request to be stationed together had been approved. Otherwise, I didn't think I would've been able to handle being separated from both Willis and our kids for that long.

Despite my best efforts to hide it, Lieutenant Colonel Henders seemed to sense my discomfort at talking about leaving Bravo - even though it had been a long time ago now. He let out a sigh and said, "It's all right, Major. You don't have to say anything about it if you don't want to. I know changing units and leaving old comrades behind can be tough - especially when you've been in the thick of it with the same Marines for so many years."

"Sir, I - "

"I already know it, Natalie. You've put in a lot of hard work in this battalion since you came to us three years ago, so I have no doubt about your dedication to this unit. But it'll always be a little different, won't it? However much you care for and guide the Marines and officers of this battalion, they're not the Marines you went into battle with and fought with and bled with during the war."

My battalion commander was right on the money - with everything. The only thing I could do in reply was nod and wait for him to go on. After a moment, he gestured to the desk adjacent to his.

"You can go ahead and take a seat at your desk now, Major. Fill out that report."

"Yes, sir," I replied as I quickly snapped to.

A few minutes after I sat down, Lieutenant Colonel Henders spoke again while I typed. This time he decided to go for a topic of conversation that was far more neutral.

"Got any plans for the rest of the day, Major?" he asked.

"Same as always, sir," I answered, continuing to type. A small grin formed on my face now. "Help my kids with their homework, see how my husband's day went, make sure there's food on the table for dinner. Not much change in routine in the Hawk household."

And that was actually what I loved about it. Willis and I managed to vary things enough that daily life never got too boring, but for the most part, it was that mundane routine that we'd both come to enjoy. After years of separation and uncertainty, of wondering when and where - or even _if_ - we'd see each other again, it was nice to be able to go home to Willis and the kids every evening, wake up in the same bed, take a shower, not have to fear an imminent attack. And those lazy weekend mornings when Willis and I were both off-duty..._those_ were truly special moments I'd realized I'd missed out on far too much during the war.

The best part about my job now though was that even with my relatively new staff position, here in engineering desk work was a rarity reserved for the daily end-of-shift report. There were always the ever-present battalion documents, of course, but they'd usually be easy to knock out in a couple hours. Otherwise, during the day following morning PT, I was out in the field the whole time overseeing the battalion's reconstruction efforts, and sometimes getting my hands dirty myself with some of the labor. It wasn't exactly fighting Covenant, but then again I'd had my fill of that over the years. As long as I got to be outdoors and moving and doing something productive - and not stuck behind a desk all day pushing papers - I was happy to do it.

Finally finished with the less glamorous side of work an hour later, I sent my report to Lieutenant Colonel Henders via datapad, then printed out a hard copy and set it on his desk for him to look over. My battalion commander gave it a cursory glance, then looked up at me.

"I'll read this over later, Natalie. You're dismissed for now, Major. Enjoy your evening."

I snapped to attention before him and saluted. "Sir!"

I quickly did an about-face and stepped out of the HQ tent. Then, I jogged down the hill, where a Warthog with two enlisted Marines was already waiting for me.

_One of the many perks of rank_, I thought to myself with a small smirk.

Both Marines got up and out of the vehicle as I approached and saluted. "Major Cooper, ma'am. We're ready to take you back to base."

I returned their salutes and gave the driver a nod as I climbed into the front passenger seat. "Let's hop to it then, Sergeant. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go home."

* * *

Senior officer housing was further from the main part of base than housing for everyone else, but it didn't take too long to get there. Since Willis was likely still at work himself - as he, too, had been bumped up to a staff position recently and was close to getting a promotion to major within his air wing - and the kids were still in their afterschool program for a little while longer, I was anticipating walking into an empty house. Needless to say, I was surprised when I saw Willis look up from the kitchen counter when I unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

"Hey, Cooper."

"Hey, Will."

Before I could make my way into the kitchen, Willis closed the distance between us and gave me a quick, hard kiss. I grinned a little and grabbed onto his shirt when he turned to go back, kissing him hard in return.

"You're home pretty early," I said once we broke apart.

Willis flashed me a small grin. "I could say the same to you. What happened? Is Earth finally all rebuilt now?"

I snorted. "Not by a longshot, unfortunately. We've been working at this thing for a few years now and we've made a lot of progress for the amount of time we've had, but it's still going to be a process to get everything back to the way it was. Even in this region alone." I gave my husband a look then as I leaned against the kitchen counter. "What about you? Did all the dropships and Longswords suddenly learn to fly themselves?"

He shook his head. "Nah. My commander was just generous with the time since Remembrance Day's tomorrow. I'm guessing your CO thought the same?"

"Yep. It's times like these I can trick myself into believing Colonel Henders really _does_ have a heart."

"Somewhere in that praise-less soul of his?"

I smiled. "Yeah. Somewhere."

Now that I'd exchanged initial greetings with Willis, my mind was freed up to focus on the sounds - and delicious smells - of something cooking on the stove top. I walked over to where Willis stood over a large pot and asked with mock astonishment, "You're cooking?"

My husband chuckled. "Don't act so surprised, Coop. I know my way through a few Hawk family recipes."

"What're you making?"

"Chili dogs. They're a little messy, but I'm sure the kids will love these."

"Then I guess since you're doing the cooking tonight, I'll go pick them up."

He smirked at me. "Not for now you won't."

Willis turned off the stove then and caught me off-guard by quickly wrapping his arms around me and giving me a deep kiss. I tried to come up for air but, as usual when it came to Willis, my body functioned independently from my mind. I ended up kissing him back.

That started something we were both unprepared for but both unwilling to stop.

"Willis," I said between kisses a few moments later, aware now that he was slowly backing me up to the counter. "Willis, the kids - "

"Can wait another bit. We've still got some time to kill..."

I barely felt it when I finally bumped against the kitchen counter, because by then Willis had already lifted me up onto it and was doing a _very_ good job at keeping my awareness otherwise occupied. When his hands stopped moving beneath my shirt so he could pull it off of me, however, I was able to regain some of my faculties.

"Will," I giggled as his hands tugged at my shirt. "I need to go take a shower, honey. We did field exercises in full battle rattle before working construction today, and I'm all sweaty and gross."

My husband flashed me a wicked grin before leaning down to kiss my neck. "Then we'll just have to go get you cleaned up after this, won't we?"

* * *

When I awoke the next day, I already knew something was different. I got up just fine as I usually did, but there was an underlying tension - a sense of anxiety - that I could feel coursing through me. I tried to shrug it off as I rose from the bed and, seeing that my husband was still asleep, hopped quietly into the shower. By the time I got out the slight shivers had already started.

That's when I realized that today was Remembrance Day. The fourth anniversary of the end of the war.

"Dammit," I muttered to myself as I pulled on some PT shorts and a UNSC-MC T-shirt to go into the kitchen. Once there, I opened the upper-most cabinet above the sink, grabbed what I needed for my morning ritual, and got myself a glass of water.

The first small bottle had my birth control pills in it; I swallowed one of those first. I wasn't opposed to maybe having one more kid with Willis some day, but it wasn't something on the agenda for now and it wasn't something we were looking to do anytime soon, either. Our current three kids kept us happy and busy enough, so we did all we could to eliminate the possibility of any surprises.

Inside the second bottle were the other meds I'd started taking after my twins were born. Those pills were to prevent the intense nightmares I'd had since returning from Africa.

I'd been through a lot during the Human-Covenant War. I'd survived the fierce fighting on Coristal, Lacino, Heath, and Sigma Octanus IV. I'd survived Earth's invasion and subsequent defense. I'd survived the Flood. I'd lived through far too many near-death experiences and seen way too many of my good friends and family and fellow Marines die. I'd lost one of my children - and nearly lost Willis and Gabe. Each of these circumstances had been too much to take in the moment, while all these events were in motion and we'd still had to fight to survive, so I'd buried a lot in the back of my mind and pushed on to the end of the war. Once it was all over, though, everything I'd been through during the six long years I'd fought had finally caught up with me.

My third pregnancy a few months after the war's end had helped boost my mood at first - the occasional mood swing notwithstanding - and I'd been happy as ever once the twins were actually born. It had been after that that had been a little harder for me to handle. The nightmares had kept getting worse and more frequent again. So now, since then, I'd been stuck taking medicine for it.

It was the only reason I hadn't woken up in a cold sweat in bed this morning, crying and shaking beside Willis.

"Hey. You ok, Coop?"

I glanced up quickly from the two pill bottles, startled out of my thoughts by my husband's voice. Behind the counter, even my right hand went instinctively to my hip, where my sidearm should've been resting in its holster on my web belt. I finally eased up a second later, realizing a little too late that our kitchen hardly qualified as a battle zone.

Willis gave me a funny look. "Rough morning and a rough night, huh? You tossed and turned a lot, you know. I heard you murmuring in your sleep a couple times, too."

"Will, please don't start with - "

He enveloped me in his arms before I could say more. At first I wanted to pretend I was mad at him for bringing it up, but I found myself leaning deeper into his chest instead, unable to speak.

"Natalie, we don't have to go to the ceremony, you know. It's our day off so we're not obligated. We can stay here, have breakfast and do something with the kids."

"No, Will," I said, finally regaining my speech. "We should go. I'd love to stay here with the kids like we normally do, but I need to..." I took in a deep breath. "I need to prove to myself that I can do this, that I'm ok now. We haven't gone once since the war ended, and that was four years ago, honey."

"With good reason. I'm not sure you're ready yet, Cooper."

"_Willis._" I pulled away from him then, trying to keep the exasperation out of my voice. "I need to go this time, ok? Hayden and Reynolds are going to be there. I want...I need to talk to them. See how they've been doing since the 102nd Battalion broke up."

"I understand that, Coop. But don't think I didn't notice you almost tried to take up a defensive position behind the counter just now, and that's only because I _greeted_ you."

"Oh, please. You're not exempt from the odd reflexes either. And what about all those nightmares you used to get after Drake died? Or your other co-pilot, what's her name - "

"Howard."

"Howard. Hell, you still have nightmares about that time you crashed in a field in Lienz. And the Flood. And that day you took a plasma round for Gabe in St. Louis. You may hear me toss and turn in my sleep sometimes, but so do you, Will."

Willis snorted. "I don't take meds for it."

"Then maybe you should!"

Everything went silent in an instant once I'd shouted. Leaning my hand against the counter now, I took a deep breath and ran my other hand through my hair. This wasn't how I'd envisioned the day starting off at all, but there wasn't much I could to do to patch it up now. My husband worked his jaw beside me but said nothing.

After I'd calmed down a little, I said in a quieter tone, "Listen, Will. I'm going to go. If you decide to come you can bring the kids. If not...I'll see you when I get back."

I went back into our bedroom then to pull on my dress uniform. Willis didn't try to follow, and I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or dejected by that. In any case, I made sure I was all squared away before going to the kids' rooms to check in on them before I left.

Gabriel's was first. I slowly twisted open the doorknob, trying to make as little noise as possible since it was still fairly early; I didn't want to wake him up. I watched him sleeping there peacefully for a moment before I went over to stand beside his bed.

Our oldest son, now six, had also had some problems with nightmares just after the war had ended, and it pained me every time. I had a feeling that a lot of it was because of what had happened to him during the bombardment of St. Louis. For a long time after that - once I'd had the chance to reflect on these things - I'd felt incredibly guilty for not having been there myself with him, for not having been able to protect him from it somehow. Willis had done an amazing job finding and getting our son out of the Covie-infested city, but by then much of the damage had been done. Once the war had ended, Willis and I had both tried to make up for as much lost time with our son as we could.

As I reached down with my hand to push back his short, light brown hair from his forehead, I took comfort in the fact that we'd been able to provide Gabe with a comfortable life after the war was over, along with lots of attention - even if he did have to learn to share it once his siblings were born. Before I left his room, I gave my oldest child a quick kiss on the forehead and carefully stepped out.

The twins came next. I entered the room quietly, just as I'd done with their older brother, and I couldn't help the smile that slowly spread across my face when I saw my two youngest children sleeping.

Three-year-old Liam was slightly older than Olivia by two minutes, but he was a little smaller and a quiet, shy mini version of Willis. Despite his name - and also having his father's gorgeous hazel eyes - he'd gotten my darker-brown hair, which was kept short like Gabe's. Even though he tended to prefer hiding behind my leg most of the time when in the presence of new people, it was always nice to see little Liam come out of his shell. And I couldn't blame the poor kid, either - it was pretty daunting to have soon-to-be two Marine majors for parents.

I laid a hand across his forehead like I had with his brother, then leaned down and kissed his cheek. Unfortunately, that was also what woke him.

He glanced up, gave me a bleary-eyed look, and yawned before saying, "Mommy?"

"Shh, baby," I replied softly. "Go back to sleep. It's still early."

"Where...where are you going?"

Little Liam looked up at me with those hazel eyes and my heart melted in an instant. I smiled as I put my hand on his small cheek.

"Today's a very important holiday, son. Some of the people Mommy used to know are going to see the monument."

"Can I come, Mommy? I wanna go wif you."

My son looked so hopeful I hated to say no, but I needed this time alone with my old buddies. Sadly I shook my head.

"I know you do, honey. But - "

"I wanna go wif you, too, Mommy," I heard from the other side of the room.

I stepped over to my daughter's bed then and leaned down to kiss her head. Like her twin brother, she had my brown hair, but that's where the similarities between them stopped. She was different in both personality and looks - while Liam and Gabe tended to take after their father, Olivia was my own mini me. Same long brown hair, same green eyes, same stubborn attitude. And, also like I'd once been, a complete Daddy's girl. Olivia loved ships so she and Willis bonded easily; that was one thing I knew for sure she hadn't gotten from me.

Of course, there were also times, like now, when she wanted her mother. It was hard for me to say no to the kids at times like these; a sad look from all three of them would have done me in for sure.

"I know you do, Livy, but I need to go by myself for now, ok? Daddy will bring you and Liam and Gabe over later."

"Promise?"

"I promise, baby. Now both of you need to get back to sleep. I'll see you in a little while."

"Love you, Mommy," the twins said in unison. I smiled again.

"I love you, too."

* * *

As I approached the monument grounds a short while later, I wasn't sure what to think. In the four years since the Human-Covenant War had ended, neither Willis nor I had ever attended a Remembrance Day ceremony here. Things had always been too fresh and vivid in our minds to want to be a part of something external that actively stirred up memories. Today, however, I'd finally decided it was time to start coming to terms with it. Time to begin to heal.

The first step in that process had been getting together two of my good friends from my previous unit - Captain Oliver Hayden, now a major, and Petty Officer Second Class Michael Reynolds, now a civilian nurse. I'd only seen each of them a handful of times since being transferred to the 8th Engineers, Hayden more frequently than Reynolds, so it'd be really nice to see them on a day like this.

Walking up in my dress uniform with my gold oak leaf insignia prominently displayed, I felt uncharacteristically self-conscious. My promotion to major was fairly recent, and sometimes it still caught me a little off-guard when attending these types of open-to-the-public events. I got salutes from fellow service members in uniform as well as some civilians - those who'd recently left the military or had retired. Lost in the gathering crowd, I couldn't see Hayden anywhere. Luckily, he found me.

"Major Cooper."

I turned around fast at the sound of my name. Standing there was Oliver, dressed in Class As himself and grinning wide.

"Major Hayden," I said as I grinned back. We gave each other a quick hug, then pulled apart.

"It's good to see you, Natalie."

"You, too, Oliver."

"Where's your other half?"

"At home with the kids. They should be getting here a bit later though, hopefully."

My best friend raised an eyebrow at me. "'Hopefully'?"

I frowned. "Will and I got into an argument before I left. Something stupid. I said he could come when he wanted, _if_ he wanted, but I'd be disappointed if he didn't."

"Don't sweat it, Coop. If there's one couple that's been through it all together, it's you two. He'll come around soon."

"Yeah. I'd really like him to be here. Anyway, where's yours?"

He pointed near a tree on the far side of the grounds. "Courtney's over there, chatting up former members of her crew. The kids are staying with their grandparents for the week, so that works out really well for us." He smirked. "But look at you. _Major_ Cooper now, huh? The fraternizer's all grown up."

I smirked back. "Yup. XO of the 8th Engineer Battalion. My CO's retiring soon, too, so ever since I took the number two spot he's been grooming me for the top position. If all goes well I'll have a battalion command by the end of the year."

"That's pretty impressive, Cooper. Congratulations."

"Yeah, thanks. Although honestly, I'm nervous as hell about it. I'll be in charge of five hundred Marines, including battalion staff."

Hayden waved a dismissive hand at me. "You'll do fine, Natalie, especially if your CO's easing you into it now. It's not quite as scary as it seems once you get some experience down." My best friend was already a battalion commander of another infantry unit that hadn't been disbanded, so I trusted his judgment. Still, it was going to be a lot to handle. Before I could reply, however, a third person interjected into the conversation.

"Majors."

Hayden and I turned at the same time then to see a black-haired, blue-eyed man standing there in civilian clothes, saluting. My best friend and I returned the salute and waited for the newcomer to drop his arm before I broke out into a big grin.

"Reynolds. How're you doing, Doc? Haven't seen you in a long time."

The former medic smiled sheepishly. "I don't go by 'Doc' anymore in my line of work, ma'am. That's reserved for the real doctors in the ER now."

"Yeah? How're you enjoying the civvie life?"

Reynolds shrugged. "It's...different, ma'am. A lot different. Sometimes I really miss the service. But I think I got out at the right time. The war was over, my contract was up. Just seemed time to move on."

I folded my arms across my chest. "You don't have to keep calling me 'ma'am', you know. You're a civvie now so I won't take it the wrong way if you call me by name."

"Couldn't do that, ma'am, even now. Feels too familiar."

"Suit yourself. Let's go find some seats. The ceremony should start soon."

Michael nodded and shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans. He was wearing a light blue button down shirt that brought out his eyes, with the top buttons undone and sleeves buttoned at the cuff. He looked squared away with his slightly gelled short hair and groomed stubble. Without realizing it, we fell into step with each other.

"So what's been new with you, Reynolds? How's life outside the Navy treating you?"

"Well so far, ma'am. It took some time to adjust, but it's been ok. I got married two summers ago, have an eight-month-old daughter now. Life's been pretty good."

I smiled. "Congratulations on the nuptials and the kid, Doc."

He smiled back. "Thank you, ma'am."

We continued to walk in silence then, neither really knowing what else to say. Finally, the former medic halted for a moment and turned to look at me.

"Listen, Cooper." He ran a hand through his hair. "I want to let you know that...I think about what happened in Africa and Europe and South America a lot. Cote D'Azur and Heath, too. You're...you're one of the only ones left who understands. Not a lot of us made it through all those campaigns and lived to tell the tale, you know?"

I nodded as I stared down at my boots. "Yeah, Doc. I know exactly what you mean. We lost...we lost a lot of good men and women along the way. There's few who're still here who went through everything we did."

"So I just wanted to say...keep in touch."

"I will, Doc. I wouldn't even be here today if it weren't for you - hell, maybe Willis wouldn't, either. You always patched everyone up quick and took good care of all of us. And I still consider you a good friend." I paused, then added, "Maybe me and Willis and you and your wife can catch up together sometime."

"Yeah," Reynolds replied. "I'd like that, Major."

* * *

The ceremony wasn't nearly as long as I thought it would be - definitely nothing like the one we'd had in Denmark immediately following the war's end. This one lasted all of an hour, with the mayor of the city and the base commandant each giving a short speech. After that, the mixed military and civilian crowd was invited to take their time checking out the monument in the center of the park and reading through the long list of names of the dead. Hayden and I said goodbye to Reynolds and headed in the direction of the monument by ourselves. I was starting to feel a little anxious now since Willis still wasn't here yet with the kids, but I tried not to let it show. Thankfully Hayden didn't bring it up.

"So all things aside, how've you been holding up, Cooper?" he asked me instead. "I mean, do you still think about everything that happened?"

"All the time," I answered solemnly. "I don't know anyone who doesn't. Especially anyone who also had to fight the Flood."

"Yeah. It's always on my mind a lot, too."

I let out a sigh. "You know, the very first time I went into combat, when I was twenty and a second lieutenant in charge of a platoon on Coristal, I always thought I'd get over what I'd experienced there with time. It wasn't until I talked to my older sister once I'd made it back home that she helped me to realize it never really goes away. It changes you for life. You just have to learn to live with it as best you can."

"Sounds like your sister was pretty smart, Cooper. She was right-on about that."

We stopped talking for a moment as we looked up at the monument. After a while, Hayden turned to stare at the names of the dead carved into the walls of polished rock behind it.

"Are you ready to go read the names?"

I took in a deep breath as soon as he suggested it. I thought of my parents, my older sister Jenna, members of Bravo Company, and even my own child, the one I'd miscarried. Willis's baby brother also came to mind. The emotional impact of all that loss hit me all at once, and the only thing I could do for a minute was swallow the intense feeling down and nod.

Then I thought of my other best friend, the person Hayden and I grieved in common. "Got one in particular in mind?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Lewis." Hayden screwed up his face for a moment, and it seemed like he was reining in his emotions as well. Slowly he smiled. "That red-headed bastard ditched us good, huh? Bailed on his own best friends. Sometimes I still can't - " He paused and shook his head. "Sometimes I still can't believe he's gone."

"I miss him, too," I said, wiping at my eyes with my uniform sleeve. "I miss him a lot. Things just...aren't the same without him."

Luckily, before I could dwell on Dean's painful absence, someone else arrived.

"Sir, ma'am," I heard behind us. I turned around and felt a grin start to spread across my face almost immediately. Standing there was Willis, wearing his own freshly pressed set of Class As with captain's bars on his jacket.

My husband smiled back at me, but tried to look serious. "If I could have a moment of the major's time?"

I gave him a mock serious look in return. "Depends whether or not the major actually wants to speak with you, Captain."

"Would it help if I said please?"

Turning to Hayden, I excused myself for a minute and stepped out of earshot with Willis. Then we both broke regulation as he quickly slipped his arms around me and gave me a deep kiss.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I know. I'm sorry, too, Will."

"I hope you know I didn't mean anything by what I said earlier, Coop. I was just worried about you."

We broke apart then and readjusted our uniforms. As I pulled my jacket taut, I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Will, how long have we been married?"

My husband gave me a lopsided grin. "A long time?"

I slapped him playfully across the cheek as I grinned back. "How long?"

"Almost...ten years now."

"And how long have we been together?"

"Twelve."

"Ok. So I think you know by now that I forgive you, even without having to say it." Just in case he was still skeptical, though, I gave him a quick kiss for good measure. "Now come on," I said as I took his hand. "Let's go pay our respects."

After calling to the kids, who'd been chatting with Hayden in the meantime, Willis and I said our goodbyes to him as well. He and his wife would be in town for the remainder of the week, so we'd get our chance to catch up with them more later on. For now, I wanted this time with my family.

The twins ran ahead of us while Willis and I walked, but I noticed after a moment that Gabriel was lingering behind us. I let go of my husband's hand and stopped to kneel in front of Gabe instead.

"Gabe? Are you feeling ok?"

He nodded. "Yes, Mommy."

"What's wrong then, sweetheart?"

His eyes started to water then, and I wondered if he was now old enough to understand the significance of this day. Of what it meant to me and to his dad and to our family.

I pulled my oldest son into my arms just as he started to cry. He buried his face in my shoulder, at first bumping into the medals and ribbons that adorned my dress uniform, and I held him closer as I rubbed his back.

"Did you talk about Remembrance Day in school yesterday, Gabe?" I asked softly.

My son sniffled and replied, "Yeah."

"Did your teacher talk to you guys about the war?"

"Yeah. I told her you and Daddy fought in it and were gone a lot. And that I missed you, Mommy."

It made my heart ache to hear him say that, and I felt my eyes begin to sting. "I missed you a lot, too, baby. Your dad and I always did everything we could to be with you, Gabe. You know that, right?"

"Y-yeah."

"And even when we were gone, we never stopped thinking about you and we never stopped loving you."

"I know. You were fighting the aliens so you could come home. Right?"

"That's exactly right, sweetheart. Do you see all we have now? Your brother and your sister and me and you and your dad? No fighting, no war? We had to fight before so we could be together now, Gabe. The Covenant wanted to take all of that away from us - and they almost did. A lot of people didn't make it. That's why we celebrate today, Gabe. Your dad and I were able to come home to you, but it's important that we remember all those who didn't get to go home to their own families. Does that make sense?"

Slowly, my son pulled away from me and sniffled, wiping his face and nose with his sleeve. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Good." I let out a sigh. "Someday when you're older you'll understand more, son. But for now, just know that your dad and I love you, Gabe. Everything we did during the war, we did for you."

"Ok. I love you, too, Mommy."

I kissed the top of my son's head and stood, then extended my hand towards him. "Ready to go catch up with Daddy and Liam and Olivia?"

My little six-year-old nodded and smiled as he took my hand. "Yeah. I'm ready."

**THE END**


	60. Closing Author's Note

**Closing Author's Note**

I'm going to try to keep this short, sweet, and to the point. First and foremost, **a big giant ****THANK YOU to all my incredibly dedicated readers and reviewers**. It's because of you that the "Cooper Trilogy" became just that, and not simply a single standalone fic. I kept writing because it was fun for me, and I always had a blast with these characters and their story, but ultimately I probably wouldn't have been motivated to do much more than a few chapters without all the encouraging feedback. So again, **thank you** to everyone on this site who has supported this little project of mine over the past few years. It's really meant a lot to me, and I very, very much appreciate it.

Sadly though, yes, this is the end of the road for Willis, Natalie, and friends. After nearly eight years of writing the twosome in various forms, I think it's definitely high time for me to finally retire them and move on to other characters (lol).

This third and final installment of the Cooper Trilogy was much longer than the other two, and certainly took much longer to write. The process was delayed a lot of times because of real life getting in the way, namely heavy college workloads, but eventually it began to get fleshed out and to take on a life of its own. It may surprise some to learn that although "The Fate of Humanity" did take several turns I wasn't expecting initially as I wrote it, actually most of the base plotline - chronicling the fighting on Earth up to the end of Human-Covenant War - was originally what I'd had planned for the latter half of "The Invasion of Earth". It just ended up being way too ambitious a goal for one fic, so once I got to what felt like a good stopping point for the second story, I counted that as done and started in on a third. And that was how "The Fate of Humanity" came to be.

So anyway, this was it, guys. It's been an awesome ride and I sincerely thank you for joining me on it. I really hope you enjoyed! :D


End file.
